Where does our carbon go? Push emissions into the atmosphere and watch the oceans and biosphere slowly — very slowly — draw it back down.
Carbon Cycle Box ModelLive
reservoirs & fluxes
Controls
Presets
Carbon moves between four great reservoirs — atmosphere, surface ocean, deep ocean, and biosphere — through exchange fluxes. Add fossil emissions to the atmosphere box and watch how slowly the oceans and land can draw it back down. The deep ocean is huge but exchanges slowly.
Reading this result: At 10 GtC/yr the surface ocean and biosphere buffer part of the input, but they saturate, so atmospheric CO₂ keeps drifting upward rather than settling.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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How it works
This box model tracks carbon among four reservoirs: atmosphere, surface ocean, deep ocean, and biosphere, connected by exchange fluxes. It captures the essential dynamics of the global carbon cycle, including why atmospheric CO₂ responds quickly to emissions but the deep ocean, though vast, buffers only over centuries. A conceptual teaching model, not a full Earth-system model.
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Ask the AI about this model
The math, the assumptions, real-world uses, or a code translation — explained for this exact simulation.
Yes. Carbon Cycle Box Model runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.
Do I need to install anything?▾
No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.
Can I save or share my simulation?▾
Create a free account to save projects, and use a shareable embed or minted DOI to publish a live, interactive version anywhere.
How accurate are the results?▾
The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.