The biological and geographic study of the properties of carbon's chemical properties in relation to gases in the atmosphere. Models that study this often incorporate atmospheric carbon dioxide, carbonates in the ocean, organic carbon, and dissolved inorganic carbon in an attempt to determine the temporal characteristics of the planet's carbon cycle. [The Ages of Gaia; Lovelock, J.; pg. 30, 34, 62; 1988; Bantam; NY.] [Climate Systems Modeling ; Salby, Murry; Ed. Kevin E Trenberth; pg. 452, 489; 1992; Cambridge University Press; London.] [Global and Planetary Change; v35; 131-141; 2003.]