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The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many minerals such as limestone. Along with the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle, the carbon cycle comprises a sequence of events that are key to make Earth capable of sustaining life. It describes the movement of carbon as it is recycled and reused throughout the biosphere, as well as long-term processes of carbon sequestration to and release from carbon sinks.
The global carbon cycle is now usually divided into the following major reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of exchange:
- The atmosphere
- The terrestrial biosphere
- The ocean, including dissolved inorganic carbon and living and non-living marine biota
- The sediments, including fossil fuels, freshwater systems, and non-living organic material.
- The Earth's interior (mantle and crust). These carbon stores interact with the other components through geological processes.
The carbon exchanges between reservoirs occur as the result of various chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. The ocean contains the largest active pool of carbon near the surface of the Earth.[3] The natural flows of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial ecosystems, and sediments are fairly balanced so that carbon levels would be roughly stable without human influence.
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