1. The carbon cycle is the continual movement of carbon throughout different systems on Earth
2. The carbon cycle includes four primary reservoirs for carbon: the atmosphere, land-living animals and plants, the oceans and in sediments, including fossil fuels.
3. Some objects can store carbon for many years and are known as carbon sinks. One example is fossil fuels.
4. Fossil fuels are the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
5. Plants use carbon dioxide in the air to make their own food in a process called photosynthesis.
6. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and so traps heat in the atmosphere. Without greenhouse gases it would be too cold on Earth for life to survive.
7. There is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place.
8. Carbon moves from plants into animals when they eat plants or other animals.
9. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe.
10. The origin of the word carbon comes from the word carbo which is Latin for coal.

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By Gemma Young for Smart Learning