1The Carbon Cycle Student Resource
Investigation 4 - Trees
The Carbon Cycle
We know trees are great at storing carbon, but where does it come from and
where does it go? Let’s explore the Carbon Cycle to find out more!
All life on Earth is Carbon based, and carbon is constantly moving from
one part of the planet to another through a process called the Carbon Cycle.
How does carbon go from one
place to another?
Carbon is transferred through many different processes including:
Photosynthesis – Process where plants use Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and
energy from the sun to make sugars and O2 that we and other animals
need to survive. Whilst we typically only think of trees, flowers and grasses
when we think of plants, this process is also happening in our oceans
where there are lots of different types of plants such as algae that are able
to photosynthesise.
Burning fossil fuels – Our use of fossil fuels is a human activity using
coal, oil and gas to generate power and electricity. This happens in oil
refineries, factories, car engines and planes across the world, releasing
a large amount of ‘greenhouse gases’, including CO2, into the atmosphere.
Most scientists agree that this is fuelling Climate Change. Had the fuel
not been burnt and released into the atmosphere, the carbon would have
remained buried under the ground.
Watch these bitesize
clips.
Fossil Fuels:
bbc.co.uk/education/
clips/zdx4wmn
Climate Change:
bbc.co.uk/education/
clips/zg7d39q
Watch the film:
