According to the law of conservation of matter, matter is never created or destroyed. it only changes form as is evident in the water cycle. but what about the other geochemical cycles? nutrients circulate throughout the environment in complex cycles called biogeochemical cycles, or nutrient cycles. carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen are nutrients that cycle through all of earth’s spheres and organisms.
humans shift carbon to the atmosphere in many ways. and because of the law of conservation of matter, there it stays as the primary greenhouse gas. by extracting fossil fuels, we remove carbon from storage in the lithosphere. by burning those fossil fuels, we move carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. all but one human activity increases the amount of atmospheric carbon.
a) deforestation
b) planting cover crops
c) industrial manufacturing
d) transportation/locomotion