The carbon cycle moves hundreds of billions of kilograms of carbon each year.

Question

Which processes add or remove carbon from the atmosphere? Place each process into the table to describe its direct impact on atmospheric carbon.

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,begin bold,Adds carbon,end bold, ,begin bold,Removes carbon,end bold, ,begin bold,Both adds and removes carbon,end bold,
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Answer options with 4 options.

Answer 1

Here’s how you could categorize the processes related to the carbon cycle in terms of their impact on atmospheric carbon:

Adds carbon:

• Combustion of fossil fuels (e.g., burning coal, oil, gasoline)

Removes carbon:

• Photosynthesis (plants absorbing CO2)

Both adds and removes carbon:

• Respiration (animals and plants exhaling CO2)
• Decomposition (breaking down organic matter can release CO2)

Now, you can fill in your table as follows:

Response area with 3 blank spaces

• Adds carbon: Combustion of fossil fuels
• Removes carbon: Photosynthesis
• Both adds and removes carbon: Respiration/Decomposition

Feel free to swap out the examples as needed!