CARBON CYCLE

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does carbon cycle mean? 

• CARBON CYCLE (noun)
  The noun CARBON CYCLE has 2 senses:

1. the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

2. a thermonuclear reaction in the interior of stars

  Familiarity information: CARBON CYCLE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CARBON CYCLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("carbon cycle" is a kind of...):

biological process; organic process (a process occurring in living organisms)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A thermonuclear reaction in the interior of stars

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("carbon cycle" is a kind of...):

thermonuclear reaction (a nuclear fusion reaction taking place at very high temperatures (as in the sun))

 Context examples 

When these fast-growing trees die, the carbon they store is returned to the carbon cycle.

(Amount of carbon stored in forests reduced as climate warms, University of Cambridge)

A massive dataset has revealed patterns in the regions where coccolithophores live, illuminating the inner workings of the ocean carbon cycle.

(Study reveals changing patterns in globally important algae, National Science Foundation)

Understanding the carbon cycle involves research across the terrestrial-aquatic-ocean continuum, which this study shows is intimately connected, said Hedy Edmonds, a program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

(Tropical soil disturbance could be hidden source of carbon dioxide, National Science Foundation)

However, the biogeochemical cycle of barium, which is closely related to the carbon cycle, is not well constrained, being a mystery how barium precipitates in ocean waters.

(Researchers discover the oceanic precipitation mechanism for barium, which is a proxy for marine bacterial productivity, University of Granada)

The discovery, published by Steven Beaupré of Stony Brook University and a team of scientists, adds to knowledge about the global carbon cycle by helping solve a long-standing mystery: what finally happens to these ancient marine molecules.

(Ancient molecules from the sea likely burst into the air from ocean waves, National Science Foundation)

The results have implications for global carbon cycle dynamics.

(Amount of carbon stored in forests reduced as climate warms, University of Cambridge)

"The Congo is now facing conversion of pristine lands for agriculture. We want to know what that could mean for the carbon cycle."

(Tropical soil disturbance could be hidden source of carbon dioxide, National Science Foundation)