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How is Carbon Cycled in the Environment?

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Carbon is an element that is present in all living things. It is cycled through the various different processes, some of which are involved in the fast carbon cycle, such as precicpitation, and others which are part of the slow carbon cycle. The fast cycle circulates carbon most rapidly between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and soils, which 1000 times faster than the slow cycle, which can store carbon for up to millions of years. Photosynthesis is a fast cycle of carbon, and is the main flux of carbon from the atmosphere to land plants. The process of photosynthesis involves plant fixing CO 2 from the atmosphere and converting light energy from the Sun into chemical energy. If animals and organisms feed on the plants, the carbon contained within the plant is passed onto them. Once these organisms die, they are broken down by decomposers such as bacteria, and the carbon stored in their bodies is released back into the environment as CO 2 . This is part of the fast carbon cycle, as
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The Water Cycle and Drainage Basin System

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The water cycle, or the hydrological cycle, is a system. It therefore consists if inputs, outputs, flows and stores. These components are linked together by flows of energy and materials throughout the system, although it is important to remember that the water cycle is a closed system; this is because only energy transfers across the boundary. Energy from the sun enters and leaves the system, but the amount of water stays the same. In the water cycle, water is cycled from the land to the sky through the processes of evaporation, condensation and percipitation. However, within the water cycle, another system exists. This is called the drainage basin system, and it is an open system. Energy comes into and leaves the system but water, unlike the hydrological cycle, can also enter and leave. So how does the drainage basin system work? The drainage basin is an area of land drained by a river. In this system, rivers act as stores of water. Clouds also store water in the atmosphere as
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