carbon cycle
3
3.9
- noun
- /ˈkɑrbən ˈsaɪkəl/
- Specialized
:
ciclo del carbono
- Scientists study the carbon cycle to understand its impact on climate change.
- the global carbon cycle
- photosynthesis and respiration
- understanding of the carbon cycle
And the moon may actually be the reason why we have a carbon cycle.
- And the moon may actually be the reason why we have a carbon cycle.
- So keeping these places intact in the deep sea until we really know what's the carbon cycle like?
- It's just appreciating the carbon cycle and knowing that we're all just kind of doing the best we can and not much more.
Examples
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Atmospheric CO2 is plant food, an essential component of the carbon cycle which sustains all life on planet Earth.
Blog text (32) -
To understand the global carbon cycle better, ecologists have undertaken many global modeling studies.
Academic text (2002) -
There is much more that is not known than is known about the carbon cycle.
Blog text (30) -
Nor is it known how the world's carbon cycle will respond.
Academic text (2004) -
Describe which biological processes are involved in the carbon cycle.
Academic text (2003) -
Such wild ups and downs cannot be reconciled with our understanding of the carbon cycle.
Blog text (30) -
Her current research focuses on the use of science-generated carbon-cycle information in policy and decision-making.
Academic text (2004) -
These are methanogenic bacteria, and they're incredibly important in the global carbon cycle and in the methane cycle.
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Pushing ahead of climate change, Schuur and Sickman's survey of the carbon cycle in the Eight Mile Lake watershed complements what scientists are doing elsewhere.
Academic text (2008) -
The carbon cycle is essential for maintaining the balance of ecosystems on Earth.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound literally names a 'cycle involving carbon', so a B1 learner who knows 'carbon' and 'cycle' will grasp that it refers to a recurring process connected to carbon. However, the provided sense (a specialized thermonuclear catalytic process in stellar cores) is highly technical and not predictable from the constituents alone, so full understanding requires domain knowledge.
Etymology
Carbon cycle paints a simple picture: pieces of carbon move in a circle from the air into plants, then into animals, and back into the soil or air as a repeating cycle. So, the name helps you remember it means the constant 'exchange' of carbon between living things and the environment.