Enviro: Cycles

Science

What Nutrient Cycles are Atmosheric?

carbon, nitrogen, sulfur

What Nutrient Cycles are Sedimentary?

phosphorus

Hydrologic Cycle is also called the?

water cycle which helps to transport nutrients

evaportation

liquid to gas

condensation

gas to liquid

precipitation

rain, snow, hail

transpiration

water leaving a plant

runoff

water on ground

percolation

water goes through soil layers

infiltration

water hitting the surface of soil

carbon sink

something that can store carbon out of the atmosphere

ex: forests, ocean, limestone, fossil fuels

What are the human affects of carbon cycle?

burning fossil fuels, clearing vegetation

ammonification

N2 goes to ammonia

Nitrification

ammonia to nitrite NO2 or nitrate NO3

Assimilation

nitrate/nitrite goes to plants

Nitrogen Fixation

process of taking nitrogen out of atmosphere into a non-atmospheric form

Denitrification

nitrate goes to N2

facultative bacteria

can survive with or without oxygen

anaerobic bacteria

can survive without oxygen

legumes

contain nitrogen fixing bacteria in their roots that provide nitrates for the plant to grow ex: peas

What human activities affect the nitrogen Cycle?

nitrogous oxide in the atmosphere (greenhouse gas), contaminating groundwater from inorganic fertilizers, the more humans=more food=more fertilizer

dead zone

when their is not enough oxygen and too much nitrogen and phosphorous in the water that evry living organism dies

phosphorous cycle

very slow, causes prolific plant growth, phosphate is mined out of rock and added to fertilizers and detergents

guano

bat poop that contains a lot of phosphorus

Human activities that affect phosphorus cycle

too much fertilizers going into runoff, excess phosphorus to aquatic systems form runoff of animal wastes and fertilizers

sulfuric acid

sulfur + H2O = acid rain which goes to plants then, animals eat plants, animal dies, decompose, and go into the soil

Human affects on sulfur cycle

burning coal adds sulfur dioxide to atmosphere, refining sulfur containing petroleum, acid rain