Activity A: Carbon pathways
Get the Gizmo ready:
Click Reset.

Introduction: Earth can be divided into four systems. The atmosphere is the air above Earth’s surface. The hydrosphere is composed of all of Earth’s water. The geosphere is the rocky, non-living part of Earth. The biosphere consists of all living things, including people. Some scientists use the term “anthroposphere” to describe everything made or modified by humans.

Question: How does carbon move between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere?

Explore: Use the Gizmo to create a path for carbon that begins and ends in the atmosphere. Fill in the steps in the path below. Then, label each location with the system it represents. Finally, summarize very briefly how the carbon atom got to that location.

Carbon path
System
How it got there
Atmospheric CO2
Atmosphere
Atmospheric CO2 comes from volcanoes, burning fossil fuels, and other sources.