Carbon-14 illustration text alternative

The graphic shows different ecosystems of planet earth. It is roughly split into four areas: top left are mountains top right is the sea and the arctic ocean. These are above surface systems in contact with the atmosphere.

In the bottom left there are Dripstone caves and in the bottom right there is underwater world of the Ocean and marine sediments. These are below surface systems not in direct contact with the atmosphere.

Above surface three sources of the radioactive carbon isotope Carbon 14 are shown:

• Human activity, shown with by atomic power plant,
• Nuclear bomb testing represented by an atomic mushroom cloud,
• and cosmic rays coming from outer space represented by a cascading particle ray.

In the top right there is also a research boat collecting water samples from the arctic ocean using a CTD rosette. This is an ocean water sampling device that is lowered into the sea till it reaches the ocean floor.

Another key element of the graphic are arrows, each showing a different way carbon 14 passes from the source through the different systems and where it ends up.

• There is a blue arrow that starts from cosmic rays, passes from the atmosphere into forests. From there it travels down the mountain river into the sea where it deposits as marine sediment.
• There is a purple arrow also starting from cosmic rays moving through the atmosphere into forests above a cave. From there it is washed into the soil, through limestone and crystalizes into a dripstone inside the cave.
• The third and green arrow with source from cosmic rays moves through the atmosphere into the sea water and deposits as marine sediment on the ocean floor.
• Then there is a yellow arrow starting from the nuclear bomb cloud passing into forests above the same cave as before. Just like with the purple arrow it is washed into the soil, through limestone and crystalizes into a dripstone inside the cave.
• The fifth and final arrow has two sources it starts from. The nuclear bomb cloud, which passes through the air into the sea, and the nuclear reactor, which passes through the river and meets up with the other radiocarbon in the ocean and is ends up in ocean currents from there.