AP SCIENCE HONORS CARBON CYCLE SE GIZMO

AP SCIENCE HONORS CARBON CYCLE SE GIZMO Vocabulary: atmosphere, biomass, biosphere, carbon reservoir, carbon sink, fossil fuel, geosphere, greenhouse gas, hydrosphere, lithosphere, photosynthesis Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) In the process of photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and water (H2O) from the soil. Using the energy of sunlight, plants build molecules of glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2). 1. How do plants on Earth affect the amount of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere? Since they consume carbon during photosynthesis, they consume carbon. 2. Animals eat plants and produce carbon dioxide and water. How do animals affect the amount of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere? They release carbon in the atmosphere. Gizmo Warm-up The Carbon Cycle Gizmo™ allows you to follow the many paths an atom of carbon can take through Earth’s systems. To begin, notice the black carbon atom in the Atmospheric CO2 area, highlighted in yellow. The glowing blue areas represent possible locations the carbon atom could go next. 1. From Earth’s atmosphere, where can the carbon atom go next? The Ocean 2. Click on Land plants and read the description. How did the carbon atom get from the atmosphere to a plant? From exposed rocks and the atmosphere 3. Select Land animals. How did the carbon atom get from land plants into the animal? Land animals consume the plants to get carbon. 4. Select Atmospheric CO2. How did the carbon atom get from land animals back to the atmosphere? Through the process of cellular respiration that occurs in animals. 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? 1. 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. Exposed Rock Geosphere Plants and exposed rocks consume carbon through photosynthesis. Oceanic CO2 Hydrosphere It travels from the plants into the water when some of it is released Atmospheric CO2 Atmosphere It goes from the water to the atmosphere from it being released.