Carbon Cycle

3. Burning of fossil fuels or biomass, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
5. Process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods.
7. The process by which organisms release energy from food, producing carbon dioxide.
9. carbon dioxide is called a __________ because it traps the Earth's heat.
11. liquid fossil fuel formed in the depths of the ocean
13. Breakdown of organic matter by bacteria and fungi, releasing carbon dioxide.
15. Any reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases.
16. The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.

1. Clearing of forests, reducing the Earth's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
2. a hardened fossil fuel formed by ancient plants
4. Coal, oil, and natural gas formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals.
6. Fossil fuels were formed during the _____ period
8. fossil fuels formed from aquatic plants and animals under intense heat and pressure
10. the gas released through the burning of fossil fuels
12. A major carbon sink where carbon dioxide is absorbed and stored.
14. Carbon is the ______ most abundant element