Track carbon as it moves between Earth's four spheres from 1850 to today.
Reservoirs are in gigatons of carbon (GtC); arrows show flow rates in GtC per year.
Hover over any arrow label to learn what that process is.
PLAY FROM 1850Year: 1850
Reservoirs & Flows
Tap a legend item to show/hide that arrow type
Speed
18501875190019251950197520002024
Set your own emissions scenario
Combustion (fossil fuel burning)9.8GtC/yr
0 = zero emissions · 9.8 = 2024 rate · 15 = worst case
Land use change1.4GtC/yr
Deforestation + soil carbon loss
Total emissions
11.2GtC/yr
Stays in atmosphere
5.15GtC/yr
Absorbed by ocean
2.91GtC/yr
Absorbed by land
3.14GtC/yr
Starting year2024
18501875190019251950197520002024
Pick the year where your scenario begins. The simulation uses the actual historical reservoir values at that year as its starting point, then projects forward 100 years at your chosen emission rates.
Play your scenario forward from 1850
Speed
2024+25+50+75+100
Of the carbon humans add, ~46% stays in the atmosphere, ~26% dissolves into the ocean (which makes it more acidic), and ~28% is taken up by land plants and soils.
This scenario assumes the partition stays constant — in reality, sinks may saturate as CO₂ keeps rising.
