Fuels and Carbon

The Carbon Cycle

What are the 4 steps of the carbon cycle?

Carbon enters the atmosphere as CO2.
CO2 is absorbed by autotrophs such as green plants.
Animals consume plants, thereby, incorporating carbon into their system.
Animals and plants die, their bodies decompose and carbon is reabsorbed back into the atmosphere.

Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle is nature's way of reusing carbon atoms, which travel from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into the atmosphere over and over again. Most carbon is stored in rocks and sediments, while the rest is stored in the ocean, atmosphere, and living organisms.

TED Ed, Nathaniel Manning, provides a basic look into the cyclical relationship of carbon, humans and the environment. (4 min)