 Skip Navigation  Carbon Cycle  Carbon is the building block of
life and constantly changes form as it is recycled by living and
nonliving systems.  Atoms Practice Practice Carbon Cycle
Practice Now Carbon Cycle  How could releasing this much
pollution into the atmosphere not be a poor idea?  Burning of
fossil fuels, such as oil, releases carbon into the atmosphere.
This carbon must be cycled - removed from the atmosphere - back
into living organisms, or it stays in the atmosphere. Increased
carbon in the atmosphere contributes to the greenhouse effect on
Earth.  The Carbon Cycle  Flowing water can slowly dissolve
carbon in sedimentary rock. Most of this carbon ends up in the
ocean. The deep ocean can store carbon for thousands of years or
more. Sedimentary rock and the ocean are major reservoirs of
stored carbon. Carbon is also stored for varying lengths of time
in the atmosphere, in living organisms, and as fossil fuel
deposits. These are all parts of the carbon cycle , which is
shown in Figure below .  The