| Atmosphere and Photosynthesis |
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 | Carbon in the atmosphere is mostly in the form of carbon dioxide with some methane and hydrofluorocarbons. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. | |
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| Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. They use energy from the sun to combine the carbon dioxide and water to form carbohydrates. | |
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| Vegetation and soil and organic matter |
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| Vegetation- Plants store carbon as carbohydrates made from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Land plants take up about a quarter of all carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere. | |
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| Soil contains a lot of carbon in the form of dead plant material and in the many bacteria and other small organisms that live there. | |
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| In the soil, decomposers (such as microbes and soil animals) break down dead plant material. As well as making nutrients available for living plants, this process also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. | |
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| Then it starts over and can go on different paths. | |
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