Student Exploration: Carbon Cycle Part B & C

troduction: Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient plants and animals. The burning of fossil fuels, as well as other human activities, increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Question: How does human activity affect the carbon cycle? 1. Describe: Using the Gizmo, determine how coal and petroleum (oil) are formed. Describe the steps required to form each fuel from atmospheric CO2. Coal: Land plants use atmosphere CO2 plant material is pressed and heated and transformed into coal. Petroleum: Ocean to atmosphere to marine plants to marine animals to sediment. 2. Explore: Natural gas is a mixture of methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), and other gases. Find two ways that natural gas forms. List the steps of the two carbon pathways below: Path 1: ocean to marine plants to sediment to natural gas Path 2: land plants to natural gas How is the formation of natural gas related to the formation of coal and petroleum? Both start from the atmosphere 3. Describe: Fossil fuels are used in many ways. Using the Gizmo, describe the main use for each fuel. Coal: Fossil fuel carbon Petroleum: