Introduction

As you have learned throughout Unit 4, carbon is found in many different compounds that are distributed in all different areas of the Earth. Remember that carbon cycles through the environment land, crust, water, and atmosphere and takes on different forms that are important to the abiotic and biotic parts of the atmosphere.

The cycling of carbon is a natural process:

  • Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is taken in by plants through the process of photosynthesis and given back to the atmosphere by animals through the process of cellular respiration.
  • Carbon dioxide is exchanged between the oceans and the atmosphere, and much of the carbon on earth becomes trapped in deep ocean currents and shells of sea animals for years.
  • When organisms die, the decomposition process emits carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.
  • When some prehistoric animals and plants die, they became buried by layers of sediment and rock that over the years turned them into fossil fuels.
When humans discovered that these fossil fuels could be burned, and the trapped energy within them released to do work, the natural cycle of carbon in the environment became altered. The increased carbon levels in the atmosphere begin to have negative impacts on the environment.

 

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Trace the carbon forms in the different parts of the environment.
  • Make predictions about possible negative outcomes related to fossil fuel combustion.

Enduring Understanding:

  • As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to increase, other parts of the biotic sphere continue to increase affecting all forms of life in a negative way.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science 1 and 16

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R10, W1, W2, W3, W4, W8, W9, and W10

 

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