Biomass Cycle

The biomass cycle is, ironically, intertwined with the carbon cycle that is causing global warming. The biomass cycle, however, is the filter or cleanser of the carbon cycle.

Biomass Cycle

Carbon comes in many forms and is both helpful and damaging to our environment. The key determinant is primarily the amount of carbon being produced on the Earth. With the overuse of carbon-based fossil fuels, excessive carbon gasses are being produced. These gasses contribute to what is euphemistically known as the greenhouse affect, resulting in warmer temperatures on the planet and potentially massive changes to climates and so forth.

The biomass cycle is part and parcel to the carbon cycle. Biomass is a term whose meaning often is dependent on the subject being discussed. Technically, it can be so broad as to include all life on the planet, although such a use is often to broad when dealing with specific issues. When discussing the biomass cycle, the definition is a bit clearer.

For our purposes, the biomass cycle refers to the cycle in which carbon is processed on the planet. Over the long evolution of our planet, carbon has been a primary component of the soil structure and it can be argued that the crust of the Earth is the starting point of the biomass cycle. From the crust of the Earth, plants grow using sunlight and nutrients from the ground and air. A primary building block plants is carbon. When plants are harvested or eaten, the carbon is transformed into energy and waste. The carbon is then returned to the Earth as either physical waste that is imbedded in the ground at some point in time or a gas form which rises into the atmosphere.

In both situations, the “carbon waste” is naturally converted back into the plant biomass through the ground and air as the plants grow. The cycle can best be described by plants using carbon to grow, which is converted into energy when plants are harvested, eaten or simply die, which then produces carbon waste that is eventually used by new plants to start the process again.

Obviously, this represents a simplification of the process. The interaction of carbon with large water masses such as the oceans is another component of the process, as is the interaction and time requirements for carbon to become part of fossil fuels. Nonetheless, this simplified description allows us to see why the biomass cycle is undergoing major changes on our planet.

At its core, the biomass cycle is really a give and take situation. Plants, oceans and so on take carbon to facilitate life. In doing so, they regulate and clean excessive carbon from the Earth. This process provides us with a surprisingly consistent climate, particularly when compared to chaotic atmospheres on other planets such as Jupiter. We have a problem, however, being caused by excessive carbon production.

Carbon is a key component to life on Earth. Excessive amounts of carbon, however, can do major damage to life on Earth and even serve to wipe it out eventually. With the massive use of fossil fuels, humanity is producing an incredible amount of carbon gas waste that is accumulating in our atmosphere. At the same time, we are overusing natural resources such as wood and stripping large carbon regulating areas of life such as the Amazon forest regions in South America. Since the plant biomass acts as a filter for carbon gases, we are creating a crooked equation.

The biomass cycle is the key to regulating carbon on our planet. As we continue to produce massive carbon emissions while reducing the ability of the biomass to filter and regulate those emissions, we run the risk of upsetting the carbon balance. Alas, the Earth will survive the imbalance and eventually correct it. The question, of course, is will we be able to survive?

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