Life and Climate  Concepts

Over time and space, the carbon cycle and the water cycle link the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere together in our global climate system.

The Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle describes how carbon moves between the atmosphere, the ocean, and the land. Nearly half the carbon dioxide that enters and leaves the atmosphere passes through the ocean and plants. Earth's oceans sequester or store large amounts of carbon and are called carbon sinks. Areas and processes that produce carbon are called carbon sources. The global carbon cycle is typically divided into two time scales: geological, which operates over millions of years, and biological, which occur in a single day or tens, hundreds and thousands of years.