Biogeochemical Cycles: Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen

The Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle) : The water cycle involves the movement of water back and forth from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere. Remember water can exist in 3 states:

The Water Cycle: 3 basic Steps Water on the Earth’s surface is heated by the sun and evaporates. Water rises into the upper atmosphere, cools, condenses, and forms clouds. Water falls back to the surface as precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail).

The Water Cycle: Key concepts Most precipitation falls back into the oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. Water in the atmosphere is completely replaced once every 8 days Water on this planet can be stored in any one of the following reservoirs: atmosphere, lakes, rivers, oceans, groundwater, soil, and/or glaciers.

The Water Cycle

The Hydrologic Cycle

Use these terms to complete your carbon cycle on the last slide. The Carbon Cycle In the following slides write down the terms in red and a definition if needed. Use these terms to complete your carbon cycle on the last slide.

The Carbon Cycle: Photosynthesis Photosynthesis - Plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) along with water and sunlight to produce glucose (sugar) and release oxygen C6H12O6 + 6O2 6H2O + 6CO

The Carbon Cycle: Respiration Respiration - Both plants and animals break down glucose (sugar) during respiration to obtain energy. glucose + oxygen water + carbon dioxide

The Carbon Cycle: Consumption Consumption: During their lifetime, animals pass along organic compounds from one another through feeding. Wastes produced during their lifetime are broken down by decomposers such as fungi and bacteria and carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere.

The Carbon Cycle: Decomposition Decomposition - When living things die, these decomposers break down their organic compounds. Here again carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere.

The Carbon Cycle: Combustion Combustion: Any burning of fossil fuels (Oil, coal, natural gas) or wood…... or combustion releases the energy stored in these organic compounds and also large amounts of carbon dioxide

The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle

The Nitrogen cycle: Key Concepts Plants and animals (all living things) need nitrogen to make proteins. Plants cannot absorb nitrogen (N2) from the air. Bacteria in the soil convert unusable (N2) from the air into nitrates (NO3) that plants can use to make their proteins. Animals eat plants to get their proteins.

The Nitrogen Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Acid rain is part of the nitrogen cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle