UNIT 3 - Cycles of Matter

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4 Spheres of Earth

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Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Geosphere, and Biosphere.

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Atmosphere

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Layer of gases surrounding Earth, contains oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

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Biology

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67 Terms

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4 Spheres of Earth

Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Geosphere, and Biosphere.

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Atmosphere

Layer of gases surrounding Earth, contains oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

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Examples of Atmosphere

Air, clouds, weather, and water vapor.

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Hydrosphere

All water on Earth, in liquid, solid, or gas form.

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Examples of Hydrosphere

Oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, water vapor.

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Geosphere

All solid land on Earth, including the crust and the interior layers.

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Examples of Geosphere

Rocks, soil, mountains, Earth's core.

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Biosphere

The zone of life on Earth, where living organisms exist.

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Examples of Biosphere

Animals, plants, microbes, ecosystems.

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Can Matter Cycle Between Spheres?

Yes, matter can cycle between different spheres (e.g., water moves between hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere).

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Water in Earth's Spheres

Water exists in the atmosphere (vapor), hydrosphere (oceans, lakes), and geosphere (glaciers, groundwater).

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Ocean

97.96% saltwater in oceans, seas, and salt lakes.

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Glacier (Ice River)

2.16% of water is frozen in glaciers, icebergs, and polar ice caps.

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Accumulation

Water gathers in large bodies like oceans, lakes, and seas.

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Condensation

Water vapor cools and condenses into liquid water, forming clouds.

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Evaporation

Water turns from liquid to vapor when heated by the sun.

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Precipitation

Water falls as rain, snow, sleet, or hail from clouds to the ground.

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Infiltration

Water soaks into the ground to become groundwater.

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Surface Runoff

Water flows down in streams and rivers, usually from rain or melted snow.

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Transpiration

Water absorbed by plants is released as vapor through leaves.

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Evaporation

Liquid → Gas (water vapor)

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Condensation

Gas → Liquid (cloud formation)

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Freezing

Liquid → Solid (ice formation)

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Melting

Solid → Liquid (melting ice)

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Carbon Cycle

Movement of carbon through Earth's systems, including the atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms.

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Photosynthesis

Producers (plants and algae) absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and water to create food and release oxygen.

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Cellular Respiration

Plants and animals take in food with carbon and oxygen, release CO2 as a waste product.

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Consuming

Organisms eat others, obtaining their carbon and energy.

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Death and Decomposition

Dead organisms break down, returning nutrients like carbon to the soil.

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Deposition

Decomposing organisms become fossil fuels or are absorbed by the ocean.

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Combustion

Fossil fuels or plants (including trash) are burned, releasing stored carbon as CO2.

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Pre-Industrial Revolution

Before the Industrial Revolution, carbon was mainly stored in marine plants/animals, soil/detritus, and the deep ocean.

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Present Day

After the Industrial Revolution, carbon is more abundant in the atmosphere, surface ocean, and ocean sediment.

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Atmosphere

Pre-Industrial Rev: 0, Present Day: 3

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Marine Plants/Animals

Pre-Industrial Rev: 0, Present Day: 1

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Carbon Sinks

Carbon sinks are places where carbon is stored for long periods of time.

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Why More Carbon in Atmosphere Now?

After the Industrial Revolution, fossil fuels were extracted and burned, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere.

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Why Carbon in Ocean Sediment?

Marine organisms die and sink into the ocean, where their carbon is absorbed by the ocean sediment.

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Nitrogen Cycle

The process by which nitrogen moves between the atmosphere, living organisms, and the soil, involving several stages of nitrogen transformation.

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Nitrogen Fixation

The process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a form usable by living organisms (e.g., ammonium (NH4+), nitrates).

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Fixed Nitrogen

Forms of nitrogen that are combined with other elements and usable by organisms, such as ammonium (NH4+), nitrites (NO2-), and nitrates (NO3-).

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Mutualism (Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria and Legumes)

The nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil benefit from the plant's nutrients, while the plant receives nitrogen from the bacteria to support growth.

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Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

Bacteria that convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into forms usable by plants, such as cyanobacteria in soil and lightning in the atmosphere.

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Nitrifying Bacteria

Bacteria that convert ammonium (NH4+) into nitrites (NO2-) and then into nitrates (NO3-), which plants can use to build amino acids, proteins, and DNA.

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Decomposers

Fungi, aerobic bacteria, and anaerobic bacteria break down dead plants, animals, and animal waste into simpler compounds like ammonia (NH3).

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Denitrifying Bacteria

Bacteria that convert nitrates in the soil back into nitrogen gas (N2), releasing it into the atmosphere and completing the nitrogen cycle.

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Human Interference

In agricultural practices, humans remove nitrogen from the soil when crops are harvested and replenish it using nitrogen-rich fertilizers.

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Nitrogen in Fertilizers

Fertilizers are used to replace nitrogen in the soil, which is depleted after crops are harvested.

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Carbon Sinks

Carbon sinks are locations where carbon is stored for long periods of time.

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Water Cycle

The process by which water circulates between the Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land through processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

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Transpiration

The process where liquid water is absorbed by plants and then released as water vapor through leaves.

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Clouds

Liquid droplets of water suspended in the atmosphere.

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Condensation

The process in which water vapor cools, condenses, and forms liquid droplets, leading to the formation of clouds.

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Infiltration

The process by which water sinks into the ground to replenish groundwater.

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Runoff

The process where water flows over the surface of the Earth, eventually accumulating in lakes, rivers, or oceans.

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Carbon Sink

A location where carbon is stored for long periods, such as forests and fossil fuels.

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Fossil Fuels

Carbon-rich substances like coal, oil, and natural gas formed from the remains of ancient organisms.

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Forests

Large areas of trees and plants that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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Decomposing Leaves

Releases carbon into the atmosphere as CO2 when leaves decay.

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Burning Fossil Fuels

Releases carbon into the atmosphere as CO2 when fossil fuels are burned.

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Photosynthesis

Plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into glucose, storing carbon in plant tissues.

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Cellular Respiration

Exercising and other metabolic processes release carbon dioxide (CO2) as a waste product, using stored carbon from food.

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Eutrophication

A process where excessive nutrients like nitrogen cause overgrowth of algae, depleting oxygen in water and creating dead zones.

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Free Nitrogen

Unreacted nitrogen in the atmosphere, comprising about 78% of Earth’s atmosphere.

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Legumes

Plants that have a mutualistic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots, aiding in nitrogen fixation.

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Harvesting Crops

Removes nitrogen from the soil as crops absorb nitrogen to grow.

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Adding Fertilizer to Farmland

Adds nitrogen to the soil because fertilizers often contain nitrogen compounds.