Where Can Atmospheric Carbon (CO2) Come From?
In the atmosphere, there are many ways the carbon can come from. The carbon could come from something human-made, like a car or factory. The pollution you see come out the top of the tube in a factory, or the exhaust coming out from the back pipe on a car. Or an animal exhaling carbon dioxide into the air (along with some oxygen).
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Where Can CO2 Go?
Global Warming and Fossil Fuels
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Global warming is a huge contributor to the carbon cycle. The greenhouse effect captures heat in the atmosphere, but lets incoming sunlight to pass. When the sunlight reaches Earth's surface some of it is absorbed and converted to heat. This heat then travels outward again, but is stopped by the greenhouse effect and captured in the atmosphere.
Because the heat cannot escape back into space, the atmosphere and Earth's surface become warmer than they would have without the greenhouse effect.
Humans burn over 9 gigatons of carbon per year!
Because the heat cannot escape back into space, the atmosphere and Earth's surface become warmer than they would have without the greenhouse effect.
Humans burn over 9 gigatons of carbon per year!