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erosion increases the sediment load of water, and nutrients are lost from the cycles in an ecosystem. See
the hydrologic cycle below.

Hydrologic Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is stored, or sequestered, in several places, often called reservoirs. During aerobic respiration,
carbon dioxide (CO 2) is given off as waste, releasing carbon from cellular metabolism. Volcanic eruptions,
weathering, and burning of fossil fuels, in particular, release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Photosynthetic organisms take up large amounts of carbon for incorporation into carbohydrates and then
release oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis.

Animals and other organisms utilize this oxygen in cellular respiration and excrete carbon dioxide as a
waste product. As vegetation is removed through deforestation and as increasing amounts of carbon are
released, photosynthetic uptake and carbon sequestering cannot keep up. The increase in carbon dioxide
and other gases are believed to be responsible for increases in surface temperatures on earth. See the
carbon cycle below.