CO 2 is released from organic materials when they decay or combust, such as in forest fires. In turn, oxygen is consumed and CO 2 is released as waste by all aerobic organisms when they metabolize organic compounds to produce energy by respiration. Plants, algae and cyanobacteria use energy from sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water in a process called photosynthesis, which produces oxygen as a waste product. Its concentration in Earth's pre-industrial atmosphere since late in the Precambrian has been regulated by organisms and geological phenomena. Īs the source of available carbon in the carbon cycle, atmospheric carbon dioxide is the primary carbon source for life on Earth. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms carbonic acid (H 2CO 3), which causes ocean acidification as atmospheric CO 2 levels increase. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water and is found in groundwater, lakes, ice caps, and seawater. Burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of these increased CO 2 concentrations and also the primary cause of global warming and climate change. It is a trace gas in Earth's atmosphere at 417 ppm (about 0.04%) by volume, having risen from pre-industrial levels of 280 ppm. In the air, carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula CO 2) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms.
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