Science investigation report

Science Investigation Report

The Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle is a system in which 3 things are accomplished

  1. Carbon is transferred between the three spheres, those being the Lithosphere (or the geosphere), the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere.
  2. It makes all life work, because carbon is the main element in most living organisms on Earth.
  3. It makes plants live because of photosynthesis, and this is the process where plants take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, and the sun's radiation, as heat, and make energy out of it, specifically glucose (C6H12O6)

Some of the main processes include:

  • Photosynthesis, in which plants use energy from the sun, carbon dioxide, and make glucose out of it, and release oxygen into the air.
  • Decomposition, in which plants and animals die and decompose, releasing carbon dioxide into the air as they disintegrate.
  • Respiration, in which animals and humans breathe, intaking oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.
  • Combustion, in which plants and animals burn and the fire releases carbon dioxide.
  • Ocean uptake, in which the ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide, either by the rain absorbing it, or the carbon just being pushed into the water.

    • The Earth's Spheres

    The four Earth's Spheres include

    1. The atmosphere, which is all the air and everything off the ground and not living. This sphere stores carbon in the air, and then releases it by the animals, plants, or the ocean absorbing it.
    2. The biosphere, which is everything living. This sphere stores carbon in the living creatures, in their DNA, or in their blood and body makeup.
    3. The hydrosphere, which is everything in the water. This sphere is a carbon sink in which it stores the carbon in it’s water, and it transferrs the carbon through the dying animals and through the plankton, as the plankton eats it.
    4. The lithosphere, or the geosphere, which is all the ground. This sphere transfers carbon through human interaction, for example the burning of fossil fuels, or volcanoes, which spit carbon into the atmosphere, and through minerals and rocks on the ground, which we eat.

    The Carbon Movements

    Carbon moves between the spheres in a few ways, like respiration, in which people and animals breathe in the air from the atmosphere, absorb the oxygen, and release carbon dioxide, putting the carbon from the biosphere into the atmosphere. Another way is through photosynthesis, in which plants use the sun's energy, through radiation, and absorb the carbon dioxide from the air, transforming it into oxygen. This is an example of the carbon transferring from the atmosphere into the biosphere. Another example is through volcanoes, in which they erupt, and expel carbon into the atmosphere. This is an example of carbon travelling from the lithosphere into the atmosphere.

    Diagram of the Carbon Cycle (Geeks, 2025)

    Human Impacts

    Human activities have been a significant impact on the carbon emissions on Earth, such as:

  • The carbon emmissions in our planet through the burning of fossil fuels,
  • Digging up bones, which uses oil, and that is fuel, which is made of fossil fuels.

    • These are some ways that humans have raised carbon emmisssions on our planet, like burning fossil fuels or extracting oil from the earth, drilling through rocks and substances that are CO2. It has increased by about 50% since 2000, with the parts of the air going up from 365 parts per million, all the way up to 420 parts.

    CO2 Emmissions over the years (Lan, 2025)

    Imagine, that in 50 years in the future, hallf of the air is carbon dioxide. We wouldn't be able to breathe without technological assistance, and even if you were, there would be air purifiers in our air. This is what some people want you to think. Realistically, if you look at the CO2 emmissions, they fluctuate. And although it hasn't been as much as they have been, it might just be another event like the ice age. (Even though I don't believe that this is happening, we might need to change a little bit because it's a little over 100 more parts per million than what it has ever been.)

    (Skeptical Science, n.d.)

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, we learnt that carbon has many ways of travelling through the spheres, like the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and bioshpere. We also learnt that there is a few different ways that Carbon moves, like humans breathing out Carbon Dioxide, or CO2, and plants absorbing CO2, and by the process of photosynthesis, and making Glucose, or C6H12O6. We learnt that human activities have had a significant impact on the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, like people using fossil fuels and burning it to make energy, and releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. We also learnt about global warming, and that the CO2 levels in our atmosphere fluctuates, although not as much ass it is now.

    Refrences

    Lan, X., Tans, P. and K.W. Thoning: Trends in globally-averaged CO2 determined from NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory measurements. Version Friday, 05-Sep-2025 12:12:59 MDT

    https://doi.org/10.15138/9N0H-ZH07

    Geeks, G. f. (2025, July 23). Geeks for Geeks. Retrieved from Diagram of Carbon Cycle:

    https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/biology/carbon-cycle-diagram

    Drs Timothy Bralower, D. B. (n.d.). PennState. Retrieved from Carbon Dioxide Through Time:

    https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth103/node/1018

    Skeptical Science. (n.d.). Skeptical Science. Retrieved from CO2 History:

    https://skepticalscience.com/graphics.php?g=10