Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/image_maps/3-carbon-cycle

Sciencelearn, University of Waikato

This interactive animation focuses on the carbon cycle and includes embedded videos and captioned images to provide greater clarification and detail of the cycle than would be available by a single static visual alone.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

See how this Simulation/Interactive supports the Next Generation Science Standards»

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Middle School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 6

MS-ESS3.D1: Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global warming). Reducing the level of climate change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes do occur depend on the understanding of climate science, engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge, such as understanding of human behavior and on applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.

MS-LS1.C1: Plants, algae (including phytoplankton), and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or later use.

MS-PS1.A1: Substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with one another in various ways. Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms.

MS-PS1.B1: Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different molecules, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants.

MS-PS3.D1: The chemical reaction by which plants produce complex food molecules (sugars) requires an energy input (i.e., from sunlight) to occur. In this reaction, carbon dioxide and water combine to form carbon-based organic molecules and release oxygen.

MS-PS3.D2: Cellular respiration in plants and animals involve chemical reactions with oxygen that release stored energy. In these processes, complex molecules containing carbon react with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and other materials.

Cross Cutting Concepts: 3

Systems and System Models

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Systems and System Models

MS-C4.1: Systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems.

MS-C4.2: Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy, matter, and information flows within systems.

MS-C4.3: Models are limited in that they only represent certain aspects of the system under study.

Science and Engineering Practices: 3

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

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Asking Questions and Defining Problems

MS-P1.1: Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, models, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

MS-P1.2: ask questions to identify and/or clarify evidence and/or the premise(s) of an argument.

MS-P1.3: Ask questions to determine relationships between independent and dependent variables and relationships in models.

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High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 6

HS-ESS2.D2: Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen.

HS-ESS2.D3: Changes in the atmosphere due to human activity have increased carbon dioxide concentrations and thus affect climate.

HS-ESS2.D4: Current models predict that, although future regional climate changes will be complex and varied, average global temperatures will continue to rise. The outcomes predicted by global climate models strongly depend on the amounts of human-generated greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere each year and by the ways in which these gases are absorbed by the ocean and biosphere.

HS-ESS2.E1: The many dynamic and delicate feedbacks between the biosphere and other Earth systems cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and the life that exists on it.

HS-LS2.B2: Plants or algae form the lowest level of the food web. At each link upward in a food web, only a small fraction of the matter consumed at the lower level is transferred upward, to produce growth and release energy in cellular respiration at the higher level. Given this inefficiency, there are generally fewer organisms at higher levels of a food web. Some matter reacts to release energy for life functions, some matter is stored in newly made structures, and much is discarded. The chemical elements that make up the molecules of organisms pass through food webs and into and out of the atmosphere and soil, and they are combined and recombined in different ways. At each link in an ecosystem, matter and energy are conserved.

HS-LS2.B3: Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are important components of the carbon cycle, in which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and geosphere through chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes.

Cross Cutting Concepts: 3

Systems and System Models

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Systems and System Models

HS-C4.2: When investigating or describing a system, the boundaries and initial conditions of the system need to be defined and their inputs and outputs analyzed and described using models.

HS-C4.3: Models (e.g., physical, mathematical, computer models) can be used to simulate systems and interactions—including energy, matter, and information flows—within and between systems at different scales.

HS-C4.4: Models can be used to predict the behavior of a system, but these predictions have limited precision and reliability due to the assumptions and approximations inherent in models.

Science and Engineering Practices: 3

Asking Questions and Defining Problems

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Asking Questions and Defining Problems

HS-P1.1: Ask questions that arise from careful observation of phenomena, or unexpected results, to clarify and/or seek additional information.

HS-P1.2: ask questions that arise from examining models or a theory, to clarify and/or seek additional information and relationships.

HS-P1.3: ask questions to determine relationships, including quantitative relationships, between independent and dependent variables

Grade Level

Middle (6-8)
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High School (9-12)
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Topics

Biogeochemical Processes
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Sources and Sinks
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Carbon Cycle
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Climate Literacy

This Simulation/Interactive builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Energy Literacy

This Simulation/Interactive builds on the following concepts of Energy Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

This can be used in conjunction with the transcript that quantifies various carbon sinks on the planet.

About the Content

The cycle is color-coded: blue for processes and grey for carbon stores.
Long-term carbon cycle dynamics are included, but more in-depth volcanic and subduction contributions to the carbon cycle are not detailed.
Review from expert scientist: The activity gives a very nice overview of the carbon cycle and methods how to record changes in CO₂ in the Ocean.
The different compartments of the Earth System - water/soil/air - are all taken into account.
The material comprises a very good and appropriate mixture of videos, pictures and very brief, concise text sections and also more detailed reports.

About the Pedagogy

This is a well-constructed interactive. By clicking on various parts of the cycle, the user can either view a short video (under 30 seconds) about the topic, or view a static diagram with more information.
There are also many additional links at this site to lessons, especially about oceans and cycles.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Click on the diagram within the webpage to enlarge its size.
The short video segments also have the transcripts provided below the video.

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

The resource is included in the larger educational module entitled "The Ocean in Action". You can access the entire module at https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/679-the-ocean-in-action-introduction. You can view related resources from this site on climate change and energy.

Entered the Collection: June 2012 Last Reviewed: May 2016

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Middle School (see details)

Middle School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 6

Cross Cutting Concepts: 3

Science and Engineering Practices: 3

High School (see details)

High School

Disciplinary Core Ideas: 6

Cross Cutting Concepts: 3

Science and Engineering Practices: 3

Grade Level

Topics

Climate Literacy

Energy Literacy

Teaching Tips

About the Content

About the Pedagogy

Technical Details/Ease of Use

Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN

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