Case studies

A tropical rainforest case study shows how water and carbon move through a real ecosystem. You examine how human activit

Water and carbon cycles

Case studies

A river catchment is an area of land that drains into one river. You study real field data to understand how rainfall mo

Water and carbon cycles

Case studies

Real-world case studies are where you apply everything you know about the water and carbon cycles to specific places — a

Water and carbon cycles

Quantitative and qualitative skills

Mass balance means comparing what flows into a store against what flows out. Unit conversion means changing a measuremen

Water and carbon cycles

Quantitative and qualitative skills

Geographers collect real measurements about water and carbon in the environment. You need to read, present, and draw con

Water and carbon cycles

Quantitative and qualitative skills

Working with real data is central to understanding how the water and carbon cycles actually behave, rather than just how

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

Carbon sits stored in five major parts of Earth: rocks, oceans, ice, living things, and the air. Each store holds a diff

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

Carbon moves between stores in different amounts depending on the scale you examine. Plants, ecosystems, and whole conti

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

The carbon cycle moves carbon between stores through six key processes. Each process either releases carbon into the atm

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

Natural events like wildfires and volcanoes can suddenly shift large amounts of carbon between stores. These events disr

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

Humans release stored carbon into the atmosphere through activities like burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests.

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

The carbon budget measures whether Earth absorbs more carbon than it releases, or vice versa. An imbalance drives climat

Water and carbon cycles

The carbon cycle

Carbon moves continuously between major stores — including the lithosphere (rocks and sediments), biosphere (living orga

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

Water on Earth sits in four giant stores: the oceans and freshwater bodies, the ice sheets and glaciers, the rocks under

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

Specific physical processes move water between stores, making each store grow or shrink. These processes include evapora

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

Water cycle processes operate at three scales — a single slope, a whole river catchment, and the entire globe. Each scal

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

A drainage basin is an open system where water enters as precipitation, moves through stores like soil and groundwater,

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

After rain hits a hillslope, water travels to a river through several pathways. The water balance equation tracks whethe

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

A flood hydrograph is a graph showing how a river's discharge changes after a rainfall event. Different drainage basins

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

The water cycle does not run at a constant rate. Storm events and seasonal shifts naturally speed it up or slow it down,

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

Humans change how water moves through the environment. Farming, building on land and extracting water from rivers or und

Water and carbon cycles

The water cycle

Water moves continuously between stores — including the oceans, ice sheets, atmosphere and rock — through processes such

Water and carbon cycles

Water and carbon cycles as natural systems

Geographers treat the water cycle and carbon cycle as systems. Each system has stores where water or carbon sits, flows

Water and carbon cycles

Water and carbon cycles as natural systems

Feedback happens when a change in a system triggers a response. Positive feedback amplifies the original change. Negativ

Water and carbon cycles

Water and carbon cycles as natural systems

Natural systems like the water cycle constantly adjust to stay balanced. When something disturbs the system, it shifts a

Water and carbon cycles

Water and carbon cycles as natural systems

Both the water cycle and the carbon cycle can be understood as open systems — frameworks in which energy and matter move

Water and carbon cycles

Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

Carbon and water move continuously between stores — such as the oceans, atmosphere, and living things. These movements r

Water and carbon cycles

Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

The water cycle and carbon cycle affect each other through the atmosphere. Changes in one cycle — such as more carbon di

Water and carbon cycles

Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

A feedback happens when a change in one cycle triggers further changes that either amplify or reduce the original shift.

Water and carbon cycles

Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

Humans deliberately alter the carbon cycle to slow climate change. They do this by capturing carbon, restoring forests,

Water and carbon cycles

Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth

The water and carbon cycles do not operate in isolation — they interact closely to regulate climate and make Earth habit

Water and carbon cycles