Content
The world of CO₂ | Carbon cycle
The world of CO₂
Photosynthesis
The world of CO₂
CO₂ through time

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon (C) is found everywhere on Earth: in humans, animals, plants, rocks, in the atmosphere, on land, and in the water. We call them reservoirs, and carbon is exchanged between them through a variety of processes. Throughout this cycle, carbon combines with other chemical elements to form things like CO₂, hydrocarbons (e.g., oil, coal, natural gas), sugars or limestone.

Carbon can be stored in reservoirs of different ­sizes for varying lengths of time. The processes in the ­cycle can be fast (e.g., photosynthesis, burning of fossil ­fuels) or slow (e.g., sedimentation). In an undisturbed, natural state, the exchange of carbon between the reservoirs is balanced (white arrows).

Deforestation and the burning of large amounts of ­fossil fuels (such as oil) by humans cause a large amount of carbon to be transferred rapidly from the vast subsurface reservoir into the smaller atmo­spheric reservoir (black arrows).

This process throws the cycle out of balance. Plants, oceans and soils cannot remove the excess CO₂ from the atmosphere quickly enough. As a result, there is 1.5 times as much CO₂ in the atmosphere today as there was before industrialisation. In theory, the atmosphere could absorb an infinite amount of CO₂ , but life on Earth as we know it is not compatible with ever-­increasing CO₂ concentrations.

Interactiv exhibit

Foto: Nicola Pitaro

EXPLORE THE CARBON CYCLE WITH THE CO₂ time machine

Since the beginning of agriculture – and especially following the Industrial Revolution around 1850 – human activities have significantly altered the carbon cycle and intensified the greenhouse effect. These changes have a profound impact on natural ecosystems and the climate.

  1. Select your language at Start.
  2. Turn the red time wheel to observe the human impact on the carbon cycle in the past.
  3. Once you arrive in the present, choose a future scenario.
  4. Turn the time wheel to observe the changes in the carbon cycle and the resulting consequences for the year 2100.
  5. Play through different scenarios and compare them with each other.

Interactive exhibit