An Earth systems adventure

Carbon's Wild Ride:
Sphere Hopper

You are Carbon-12: six protons, six neutrons, and absolutely no travel plan. Bounce through all four Earth spheres without getting permanently stuck in a shell, a rock, or somebody's lunch.

1AtmosphereCatch a ride into a leaf

2BiosphereSurvive the food web

3GeosphereWeather the weathering

4HydrosphereBubble back to the air

Class identifier Use the identifier your teacher expects. Avoid entering your full name.

About 8 minutes • Touch, mouse, or keyboard • Pass 3 of 4 checks to earn the Sphere Hopper badge

Science behind the silliness

Field notes

This game compresses processes that can take seconds, seasons, or millions of years into one very busy carbon atom's afternoon. The path is one possible route through the carbon cycle, not the only route.

Atmosphere to biosphere: Plants use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis to build carbon-rich organic molecules.
Biosphere and geosphere: Feeding, respiration, death, and decomposition move carbon through organisms and soils.
Geosphere to hydrosphere: Chemical weathering and moving water carry dissolved carbon and weathering products toward rivers and oceans.
Hydrosphere to atmosphere: Surface waters continually exchange carbon dioxide with the air; some ocean regions absorb it and others release it.

NOAA: What is the carbon cycle? NOAA: Basics of the Carbon Cycle NOAA: Ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange USGS: Carbon cycle

Carbon's Wild Ride:Sphere Hopper

Sphere Hopper

Carbon's Wild Ride:
Sphere Hopper