Stages of Carbon Cycle

 Carbon moves fr om the atmosphere to plants . In the atmosphe re, carbon is a ttac hed to oxygen in a gas
ca lle d carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Thr ough the pr ocess of photosynthe sis, carbon dioxide is pulle d from the
a ir to produce food made from carbon for pla nt growth.

 Carbon moves fr om pla nts to anima ls. Through food chains, the carbon that is in plants move s to the
animals that eat them . Animals that ea t other anima ls get the car bon from their food too.

 Carbon moves fr om pla nts and animals to soils. Whe n plants and anima ls die, their bodies, wood and
leave s decays br inging the carbon into the gr ound . Some is bur ied and will become fossil fue ls in
millions and millions of years .

 Carbon moves fr om living things to the atmosphe re. Each time you exhale , you are releasing car bon
dioxide ga s (CO 2 ) into the atmosphe re. A nima ls and plants need to get rid of carbon dioxide gas thr ough
a proce ss called re spira tion.

 Carbon moves fr om fossil fue ls to the a tmosphere when f uels are bur ned. When humans bur n fossil fue ls
to power factor ies, power plants, cars and tr ucks, most of the carbon quickly ente rs the atmosphere a s
carbon dioxide ga s. Each year , five and a half billion tons of carbon is relea sed by burning fossil fuels .
Of this massive amount , 3.3 billion tons sta ys in the atmosphere . Most of the rema inder become s
dissolved in seawater.

 Carbon moves fr om the atmosphere to the oceans. The ocea ns, and other bodie s of wa ter, absorb some
carbon fr om the a tmosphe re . T he carbon is dissolve d into the wa ter.