The carbon cycle across rock, ocean, air and life

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Where is most of Earth's carbon stored, by Ari's reading (NASA)?

   • In the air
   • In the ocean's surface water
   • In rocks
   • In plants and animals

2. 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

3. 2.

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

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

4. Carbon's slow path

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

5. 3.

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

   • Volcanoes freeze CO₂ into solid rock
   • Wind blows CO₂ deep into the rock
   • Rain with CO₂ forms a weak acid that dissolves rock
   • Plant roots pull CO₂ straight out of solid rock each spring
6. 4.

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

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

7. A yearly CO₂ wiggle

   Up in northern winter, down in spring and summer.

8. 5.

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

   • About a billion years
   • 100 to 200 million years
   • About the age of Earth
   • About a lifespan
9. 6.

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

   • Methane and soil heat
   • Carbon dioxide and sunlight
   • Limestone and rainwater
   • Oxygen and moonlight
10. 7.

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

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

11. 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

12. 8.

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

    • 1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons
    • 130 to 380 million metric tons
    • About 65,500 billion metric tons
    • 10 to 100 million metric tons
13. 9.

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

    • 10 to 100 million metric tons
    • About 30 billion tons
    • 130 to 380 million metric tons
    • 1,000 to 100,000 million metric tons
14. 10.

    Using the table, about how much CO₂ do humans emit each year, by Esme's reading (NASA)?

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