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3 Jan 2026

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2 pages

Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes and Types

Maisie Holland

@maisieholland_ojwl

The carbon cycle is one of Earth's most important processes,... Show more

LONG SHORT TERM CARBON CYCLE

THE CARBON CYCLE
Atmosphere
Decomposition
Ocean surface
Food web
Soil organic
residence time
average length of

Long Term Carbon Cycle

The long term carbon cycle is basically Earth's slow-motion carbon storage system that takes 100-200 million years to complete. Think of it as nature's ultimate recycling programme - just incredibly slow!

Carbon gets stored in five main places: rocks, fossil fuels, water, soils, and the atmosphere. The process starts when volcanoes erupt, releasing about 200 million tonnes of carbon annually as carbon dioxide. This CO₂ mixes with water to create carbonic acid, which falls as acidic rain.

This acidic rainfall chemically weathers rocks and minerals. Some carbon returns to the atmosphere, but the rest flows down rivers into oceans where marine creatures absorb it to build their shells and skeletons. When these organisms die, they sink to the sea floor and pile up in layers.

Key Point: Over millions of years, these layers get compressed into sedimentary rock, and with enough heat and pressure, they become fossil fuels - this is called carbon sequestration. At destructive plate boundaries, rocks get subducted into Earth's mantle, and the whole cycle starts again when carbon escapes through volcanic eruptions.

Short Term Carbon Cycle

The short term carbon cycle is the fast-paced version that moves carbon through living things in just years or decades. This cycle shifts between 1,000 to 100,000 million tonnes of carbon annually - that's massive compared to the long-term cycle!

The cycle revolves around four key processes: photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion. Plants act as primary producers, absorbing CO₂ during photosynthesis and converting it into carbohydrates whilst releasing oxygen. Marine phytoplankton do exactly the same thing in our oceans.

Animals break down these carbohydrates for energy, releasing CO₂ through respiration and methane through digestion. When organisms die, bacteria and fungi decompose them, releasing even more CO₂ and methane back to the atmosphere. Some carbon gets transferred into soil as humus, which contains millions of microorganisms that are also part of this cycle.

Remember This: Special environments like peat soils store massive amounts of carbon because they're so waterlogged that plants can't decompose properly. Climate change creates uncertainty about whether these areas will store more or less carbon in the future - making them crucial to monitor.

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308

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3 Jan 2026

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2 pages

Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes and Types

Maisie Holland

@maisieholland_ojwl

The carbon cycle is one of Earth's most important processes, constantly moving carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living things. Understanding this cycle is crucial because it directly affects climate change and how our planet maintains the conditions necessary... Show more

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Long Term Carbon Cycle

Key Point: Over millions of years, these layers get compressed into sedimentary rock, and with enough heat and pressure, they become fossil fuels - this is called carbon sequestration. At destructive plate boundaries, rocks get subducted into Earth's mantle, and the whole cycle starts again when carbon escapes through volcanic eruptions.

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Short Term Carbon Cycle

Remember This: Special environments like peat soils store massive amounts of carbon because they're so waterlogged that plants can't decompose properly. Climate change creates uncertainty about whether these areas will store more or less carbon in the future - making them crucial to monitor.