The Carbon Cycle (simple) — free printable diagram

About this illustration

A simple, colourful cartoon diagram of the carbon cycle showing five numbered processes: (1) Photosynthesis – plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere (green arrow pointing from atmosphere to tree); (2) Respiration – animals and plants release CO2 (blue/brown arrow pointing from deer upward to atmosphere); (3) Decomposition – dead organisms release CO2 to soil (shown with fallen logs and leaves in soil, no arrow to atmosphere shown); (4) Combustion – factories and cars burn fossil fuels releasing CO2 (red arrow pointing to atmosphere); (5) Ocean absorption – oceans absorb CO2 (blue arrow pointing from atmosphere down to ocean). CO2 molecules are depicted in the cloud-shaped atmosphere at the top.

How to use

1. 1Right-click the image and choose “Save image as”, or use the download button.
2. 2Use it in your classroom worksheets, slides or printables — free under CC BY-NC 4.0.
3. 3Attribute as “Image by Kuraplan” or link back to kuraplan.com. Not for commercial resale.