The carbon cycle across rock, ocean, air and life

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Where carbon is and how fast it moves (NASA)

   Part of the cycle	NASA figure
   Carbon stored in rocks	about 65,500 billion metric tons
   Carbon through the slow cycle each year	10 to 100 million metric tons
   Carbon through the fast cycle each year	1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons
   Volcano CO₂ each year	130 to 380 million metric tons
   Human CO₂ each year	about 30 billion tons

2. 1.

   About how much carbon is stored in rocks, by Bo's reading (NASA)?

   • About 130 to 380 million metric tons
   • About 65 metric tons
   • About 30 billion tons
   • About 65,500 billion metric tons
3. 2.

   Besides rocks, which list names places carbon is stored, by Kira's reading (NASA)?

   • Glacier ice, and nowhere else on Earth
   • Living things, and nowhere else on Earth
   • Ocean, air, plants, soil and fossil fuels
   • The Sun, the Moon and outer space

4. Carbon's slow path

   Rain, rock, river, sea floor, limestone, volcano.

5. 3.

   How long does carbon take to move through the slow carbon cycle, by Jun's reading (NASA)?

   • 100 to 200 million years
   • 1 to 2 days
   • 100 to 200 years
   • About one plant's or animal's lifespan
6. 4.

   What starts the rock step of the slow cycle, by Luz's reading (NASA)?

   • Rain with CO₂ forms a weak acid that dissolves rock
   • Wind blows CO₂ deep into the rock
   • Volcanoes freeze CO₂ into solid rock
   • Plant roots pull CO₂ straight out of solid rock each spring
7. 5.

   How does carbon in rock return to the air in the slow cycle, by Milo's reading (NASA)?

   • Volcanoes vent CO₂ from rock heated deep underground
   • Limestone melts in the summer sun
   • Rivers carry it straight up to the clouds
   • Plants breathe it out each night in very large amounts

8. A yearly CO₂ wiggle

   Up in northern winter, down in spring and summer.

9. 6.

   How long does carbon take to move through the fast carbon cycle, by Noah's reading (NASA)?

   • About the age of Earth
   • About a lifespan
   • About a billion years
   • 100 to 200 million years
10. 7.

    In photosynthesis, what do plants take in to make sugars, by Pia's reading (NASA)?

    • Oxygen and moonlight
    • Carbon dioxide and sunlight
    • Limestone and rainwater
    • Methane and soil heat
11. 8.

    When does CO₂ in the air climb during the yearly wiggle, by Ren's reading (NASA)?

    • Northern winter, when few plants grow and many decay
    • Spring, when new leaves come out on trees
    • Midday, when the Sun is highest
    • Northern summer, when the most plants are growing fastest

12. Where carbon is and how fast it moves (NASA)

    Part of the cycle	NASA figure
    Carbon stored in rocks	about 65,500 billion metric tons
    Carbon through the slow cycle each year	10 to 100 million metric tons
    Carbon through the fast cycle each year	1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons
    Volcano CO₂ each year	130 to 380 million metric tons
    Human CO₂ each year	about 30 billion tons

13. 9.

    Using the table, how much carbon moves through the fast cycle each year, by Tala's reading (NASA)?

    • About 65,500 billion metric tons
    • 1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons
    • 130 to 380 million metric tons
    • 10 to 100 million metric tons
14. 10.

    Using the table, how much CO₂ do volcanoes emit each year, by Zee's reading (NASA)?

    • 10 to 100 million metric tons
    • 130 to 380 million metric tons
    • About 30 billion tons
    • 1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons