Cycles

poo myself

water cycle

the cycle of water doi

how uch percentage of water is saltwater and freshwater

97% saltwater

3% freshwater (most stored in glaciers)

evaporation

liquid to gas

condensation

gas to liquid - formation of clouds

evapotranspiration

the total amount of evaporation in the werld

transpiration

water evaporating from the plants (root pressure + transpiration)

precipitation

water coming out of clouds

infiltration

water going into the ground into reservoirs and its called groundwater

runoff

when water from rainfall/snow melt flows on the land’s surface

metabolic water

water as a result of CR from organisms

groundwater

water stored in the ground

Aquifer

a large underground water storage site

spring

where water flows from an aquifer to the surface

watersheds

usually trees and forests

capture rain and snowfall and release precipitation slowly. This prevents flooding, erosion, and rapid loss of water to oceans

why is water a polar molecule

because it has a slightly postive and a slightly negative charge

oxygen - negative charge

hydrogen - positive charge

why does water have such a high specific heat capacity

because of the hydrogen bonds. There needs to be a lot of energy to break those bonds

why do large bodies of water regulate the global temperature

because water has a higher specific heat capacity, the water absorbs a lot of thermal energy and releases it slowly, moderating the global temperature.

why does water float

when water is frozen it takes form of an open crystal structure

when is water most dense

4 degrees celsius

cohesion

attraction of water molecules to other water molecules

adhesion

attraction of water molecules to other substances

what is the largest GHG and the etc ones

water vapour is the largest

carbon dioxide

methane

and nitrous oxide

water takes up __% of plant and animal tissue

50

what is water used for in the body

transporting nutrients

biochemical reactions

excretions

what is peat

peat is a fuel source formed from dead plants and animals in wetlands which are in an anoxic (no oxygen) environement which slows down the decomposition.

what lnks the carbon and oxygen cycle

cellular respiration and photosynthesis

this is because they are opposite reactions

carbon sinks

reservoirs that absorb more carbon than they emit

largest ones: oceans and forests

the ocean has a lot of co2 because the co2 dissolves in the water and aquatic plants use the co2 to photosynthesize.

forests are carbon sinks because the trees absorb and store co2 for photosynthesis.

carbon source

emits carbon into the atmosphere

examples: burning fossil fuels and forest fires

rising ocean temperatures is also a carbon source because a lot of the stored carbon in the ocean gets released when it gets evaporated more than usual

what does limestone do in the carbon cycle

when limestone weathers, it releases small amounts of carbon back into the soil/water

how is limestone created

when calcium carbonate (from shells) accumulates at the bottom of the sea it creates this sediment called limestone and it buffers (stops) the change in pH to neutralize soil and water

slow-cycling of carbon

weathering

formation of:

fossil fuels

sediments/rocks

rocks in the deep ocean

rapid-cycling of carbon

photosynthesis

cellular respiration

combustion

dissolving co2 in the water

evaporation of co2 in the water (rising ocean temps)

nitric/nitrous acids

from fossil fuels: react atmospheric nitrogen with oxygen and water and it creates acid which can damage plants, acidify lakes and oceans, an leech nutrients from soil.

nitrogen is essential for…

ATP, proteins, and DNA

most plants can only assimilate this form of nitrogen:

nitrate ion (NO3-)

some can assimulate ammoniom (nh4) and nitrite (NO2)

nitrogen fixation

the process in which bacteria convert nitrogen into ammonium ions

where do these n-fixing bacteria live

either in the soil or in the noudules of some legumes. its a mutually symbiotic relationship because the plant gets a source of nitrogen while the bacteria have a source of glucose and a place to live

crop rotation

a farmoing method in which legumes are grown one season and add ammonium ions to the soil for the next batch of crops

ammonification

when decomposers turn dead matter into ammonium ions

nitrification

the process by which nitrifying soil bacteria convert the ammonium in the soil into nitrite (NO2) and then into nitrate (NO3)

order for atmospheric nitrogen to turn into nitrate

1. nitrogen fixing bacteria turn it into ammonium ions/decomposers turn dead matter into ammonium

2. nitrification - bacteria in the soil convert the ammonium into nitrite (NO2)

3. the same bacteria turn the nitrite into nitrate (NO3)

whats the most direct conversion from N2 to NO3

when lightning strikes the ground it can also turn nitrogen into NO3 because of the amount of energy it breaks up all the nitrogen and it gets paired with an oxygen

denitrification

when denitrifying bacteria (anaerobic - little to no oxygen) convert nitrate/nitrite back into nitrogen gas and take all of the oxgen to theirselves

fossil fuels and nitrate

the combustion in fossil fuels causes n2 to combine with oxygen to make NO3 and combines with water to make the nitrate ion

what is the cycle that doesn’t move throughout the atmosphere

the phosphorus cycle

what does phosphorus do for our bodies

a part of our DNA, teeth, bones, and cell membrane

qhat form of phosphorous do producers use

phosphate ions, which are dissolved in water

why is there a limit to the amount of producers

because phosphorus is limited

rapid cycling of phosphorus

composition

decomposition

leeching (in and out of soil)

chemical precipitation (acid rain)

slow cycling of phosphorus

formation of sediments

geological uplift

weathering

what is geological uplift

when the tectonic plates shift in the earth and the crust that was in the bottom of the ocean is now on land

eutrophication

the excess buildup of nutrients in a body of water

what is caused by eutrophication with phosphorus

algal blooms - overgrowth of algae on the surface of water. Too much algae can block out sunlight which prevents other aquatic plants from reproducing

how does too much algae kill an ecosystem

1. no sunlight = less oxygen

2. less oxygen (decmposers use it all to break down matter)

3. cellular respiration all the oxygen is GAWN

how are algal blooms caused

sewage and fertilizer runoff

where is phosphorus found

in bodies of water, in rocks, and in organisms

how does the phosphate get out of the rocks

water erodes it down and the phosphorus comes out

productivity:

the rate in which biomass is produced in an ecosystem

productivity factors:

• number of producers

• amount of sunlight

• time of year

• avaliable nutrients

• rainfall/water

gaia hypothesis

homeostaisis on a global level

dead microorganisms made rocks called (in the ancient past)

stromatolites

dead zones

lakes or oceans in which aquatic life has suffocated due to algal blooms

deforestation

when trees are cut down all of the pent up carbon gets released and is washed into rivers. also the nutrients in the soil that were there is exposed