What is carbon?
Carbon is the major element that makes up most living things. Carbon has unique properties in that it can form long chains and branched structures, and can make single, double, and even triple bonds with other atoms.
What is the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle describes how carbon in all of its various forms moves through the different reservoirs of Earth.
What is biomass?
Biomass is the total mass of an organism.
What is the pedosphere?
The pedosphere is the outermost layer of Earth that is composed mainly of soil.
What is the biosphere?
The biosphere is the global ecosystem that is composed of all living things and the nonliving related factors.
What is carbon capture?
Carbon capture involves the removal of carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide.
What is carbon sequestration?
Carbon sequestration involves the removal of carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide and storing the carbon long-term in different forms. This process slows down the increases in the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere due to the increases in the burning of fossil fuels.
What is carbon permanence?
Carbon permanence is a measure of the length of time that carbon captured from the atmosphere is stored and not re-released into the air.
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 1 investigation.
Carbon – an element associated with living things
Carbon Cycle – how carbon moves between the air, water, and land through living things and other processes
Carbon Dioxide – a compound that makes up a small part of air, but is critical for plants to survive
Carbon Content – how much carbon is stored in something
Trees – large plants with a woody stem or trunk that grow to great heights
Biomass – the mass of a living organism
Mass – the amount of matter in something
Diameter – a straight line passing from one side of a tree trunk to the other side of the trunk.
Here are some definitions to help you in your Grade 3-5 Lesson 2 investigation.
Carbon – an element associated with living things
Carbon Cycle – how carbon moves between the air, water, and land through living things and other processes
Carbon Dioxide – a compound that makes up a small part of air, but is critical for plants to survive
Carbon Content – how much carbon is stored in something
Trees – large plants with a woody stem or trunk that grow to great heights
Biomass – the mass of a living organism
Mass – the amount of matter in something
The carbon cycle describes how carbon in all of its various forms moves through the different reservoirs of Earth: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and pedosphere. In this investigation, you’ll determine how trees and soil capture, store, and exchange carbon with the other spheres. Your challenge is to find out how to measure the carbon stored in trees and soil.
