EGN 4070 Final Chapter 3

What are stocks and flows?

Stocks are the quantity of resources at a given time, flows are the rate of transfer/ transformation.

What is the atmosphere?

The layer of gases surrounding Earth.

What is condensation?

Water vapor turning into liquid water.

What is evaporation?

Liquid water turning into water vapor.

What is hydrology?

Study of water movement, distribution, and quality on Earth.

What does hydrology include?

Hydrologic cycle and interactions with other systems.

What is the purpose of the atmosphere?

To provide protection from the sun's harmful radiation.

What is infiltration?

Water entering soil through pores.

What is the lithosphere?

Solid outer layer of Earth.

What is precipitation?

Any form of water falling from atmosphere.

What is residence time?

Average time a substance spends in environment.

What is runoff?

Precipitation flowing over land surface.

What is transpiration?

Water absorbed by plants and released as vapor.

What is a watershed?

An area of land that drains into a body of water.

What is a biogeochemical cycle?

A biogeochemical cycle is the pathway that chemical elements and compounds take through the living and non-living components of Earth's ecosystems.

What is step 1 of the biogeochemical cycle?

Producers (such as plants) absorb nutrients from the soil and air to grow and produce organic matter through photosynthesis.

What is step 2 of the biogeochemical cycle?

Consumers (such as animals) eat the producers, and break down the organic matter to release nutrients back into the ecosystem.

What is step 3 of the biogeochemical cycle?

Decomposers (such as bacteria and fungi) break down dead plants and animals, and release nutrients back into the soil or water.

What is step 4 of the biogeochemical cycle?

Nutrients are cycled between the living and nonliving components of the ecosystem through various processes, such as respiration, decomposition, and nutrient uptake.

How is carbon part of the biogeochemical cycle?

It is taken in by plants during photosynthesis, and released into the air through respiration and decay. Then it is taken up by other plants, animals, and decomposers, and can also be released back into the atmosphere through combustion or other processes.

How is phosphorus part of the biogeochemical cycle?

It involves the weathering of rocks and the release of the element into the soil, which is then taken up by plants, consumed by animals, and eventually returned to the soil through decomposition.

How is nitrogen part of the biogeochemical cycle?

It involves nitrogen fixation (conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants), nitrification (conversion of ammonium into nitrite and then nitrate), and denitrification (conversion of nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen).

What is step 1 of the hydrologic cycle?

Evaporation: Heat from the sun causes water from oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water to evaporate and rise into the atmosphere as water vapor.

What is step 2 of the hydrologic cycle?

Transpiration: Plants release water vapor from their leaves into the atmosphere through a process called transpiration.

What is step 3 of the hydrologic cycle?

Condensation: As the warm, moist air rises into the atmosphere, it cools and water vapor condenses into tiny droplets, forming clouds.

What is step 4 of the hydrologic cycle?

Precipitation: The water droplets in the clouds eventually become large enough to fall to the ground as precipitation, such as rain, snow, or sleet.

What is step 5 of the hydrologic cycle?

Infiltration: Some precipitation is absorbed into the ground and becomes groundwater, which can be stored in underground aquifers.

What is step 6 of the hydrologic cycle?

Surface runoff: Some precipitation runs off the surface of the ground and flows into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

What is step 7 of the hydrologic cycle?

Subsurface runoff: Some groundwater flows underground and eventually enters rivers, lakes, and oceans.

What is step 8 of the hydrologic cycle?

Percolation: Some groundwater percolates through the soil and enters underground waterways.

What is step 9 of the hydrologic cycle?

Storage: Water is stored in various forms such as snow, ice caps and glaciers, and bodies of water.

What is step 10 of the hydrologic cycle?

Translocation: Water moves through the atmosphere, land, and oceans due to atmospheric and oceanic currents, as well as surface runoff and subsurface runoff.

What is step 1 of the nitrogen cycle?

Nitrogen fixation: Nitrogen gas (N2) from the atmosphere is converted into a more reactive form of nitrogen, such as ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-) by certain bacteria called nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which live in the soil, on the roots of plants, or in the water.

What is step 2 of the nitrogen cycle?

Nitrification: The ammonium (NH4+) produced by nitrogen-fixing bacteria is converted into nitrite (NO2-) and then into nitrate (NO3-) by other bacteria called nitrifying bacteria. Nitrate is the form of nitrogen that plants can use to build proteins and other essential molecules.

What is step 3 of the nitrogen cycle?

Assimilation: Plants take up nitrate and use it to build amino acids, nucleotides, and other essential molecules.

What is step 4 of the nitrogen cycle?

Ammonification: When plants and animals die, decomposers such as bacteria and fungi break down their organic matter and release ammonium (NH4+) back into the soil.

What is step 5 of the nitrogen cycle?

Denitrification: Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrate (NO3-) back into nitrogen gas (N2), which is released into the atmosphere.

What is step 6 of the nitrogen cycle?

Human impacts: Human activities such as the use of fertilizers, burning of fossil fuels, and industrial activities have greatly increased the amount of reactive nitrogen in the environment, leading to environmental problems such as eutrophication and acid rain.

What is layer 1 of the atmosphere? (1= lowest, 5=highest )

Troposphere

What is layer 2 of the atmosphere? (1= lowest, 5=highest )

Stratosphere

What is layer 3 of the atmosphere? (1= lowest, 5=highest )

Mesosphere

What is layer 4 of the atmosphere? (1= lowest, 5=highest )

Thermosphere

What is layer 5 of the atmosphere? (1= lowest, 5=highest )

Exosphere