The element carbon is found all over our planet.
Carbon helps make up carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere (it’s the C in CO2). It’s found underground in rocks and fossil fuels. A lot of it is stored in Earth’s oceans. And it’s the main chemical building block of all living things, found in DNA, sugars, proteins and many other molecules.
The total amount of carbon on Earth doesn’t change. But our planet’s carbon atoms are always moving around between living things, oceans, the atmosphere and other places. Together, these exchanges are known as the carbon cycle.
Plants, for instance, pull carbon dioxide out of the air during photosynthesis. They use those carbon atoms to build up their tissues — which animals then eat. Animals exhale carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. And when plants and animals die, the carbon from their tissues gets released into the air and soil. That carbon can get locked up in rock like limestone or fossil fuels such as coal.
Carbon from the atmosphere can also get absorbed by Earth’s oceans. Sea creatures use it to build their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. When those organisms die, their remains sink and can either dissolve into deep sea waters or settle into the seafloor. Carbon locked up underground can also be violently blasted back out into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions.
The carbon cycle naturally keeps carbon moving in and out of Earth’s atmosphere. But human activity has recently been pumping a lot more carbon into the air. A big way we do this is by burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil for energy. But other human activities, such as farming and cutting down forests, add carbon to the atmosphere as well. That airborne carbon is warming Earth’s climate through the greenhouse effect.
For that reason, scientists and engineers are trying to develop new technologies that can capture carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere.
Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:
Eight ways you can cut your carbon footprint Learn how you can limit the climate-warming gases associated with what you eat, the products you buy and the energy you use. (2/9/2023) Readability: 7.3
The world is aiming for ‘net zero’ emissions of greenhouse gases Nations are charting how they might ‘zero’ out their releases of climate-warming gases. Success might greatly lower the risks of climate catastrophes. (2/9/2023) Readability: 7.9
Explainer: CO2 and other greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide is just one of several chemicals that contribute to the greenhouse effect. (9/20/2018) Readability: 7.9
Explore more
Scientists Say: Carbon capture
Explainer: All about carbon dioxide
Explainer: How photosynthesis works
Explainer: Where fossil fuels come from
Explainer: In chemistry, what does it mean to be organic?
An ancient log shows how burying wood can fight climate change
A bold plan to save the planet turns carbon dioxide into stone
Pollution power? A new device turns carbon dioxide into fuel
Activities
Humans can affect Earth’s carbon cycle in lots of negative ways, through burning fossil fuels and other activities. But we can also positively impact the carbon cycle by creating more places to store carbon from the atmosphere — like growing plants. Grow your own plants and test the power of fertilizer with this experiment from Science News Explores.
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