Hey! I'm Carson the carbon atom!

I'm a chemical element occurring as diamond and graphite, in coal and gasoline, and in plant and animal bodies.

I think I see someone!

Who are you?

I'm a human.

What are you doing here?

I am studying the carbon cycle.

How does studying the carbon cycle involve the ocean?

Well, the ocean is a natural carbon sink. It is kind of like a carbon sponge.

How do humans affect the carbon cycle?

Humans burn trees and fossil fuels from the lithosphere for energy, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Humans also pollute the oceans or hydrosphere.

How does this affect the biosphere?

Many plants and animals are suffering from climate change or global warming.

What is climate change?

Climate change or global warming is the rise in global temperature. This can be caused by a rise in carbon in the atmosphere.

How does this affect the hydrosphere?

Climate change causes the ocean to heat up. Rising water temperatures cause carbon that was previously stored in the ocean to release more rapidly.

Do Humans speed up the carbon cycle and global warming?

Yes, Humans speed this process up a lot.

That doesn't sound very healthy for the Earth.

It's not. But we can find a way to stop wasting our natural resources with future technology.