4.4- water cycle, nitrogen cycle and phosphorus cycle

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33 Terms

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3 main processes of water cycle

-evaporation

-condensation

-percipitation

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evaporation

heat from sun causes water at earth's surface to evaporate

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condensation

as warm air rises, it cools and condenses, forming clouds (gas turning to liquid form)

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precipitation

water falls back to earths surface when it rains or snows

-rain, snow, hail

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run-off

after the water fall back from earth the run-off is when water moves downhill back into ocean water due to gravity

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water moves through biosphere by ...

transpiration

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transpiration

process where water is absorbed by the roots of plants then lose water through small pores in the leaves

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water pollution

physical, biological or chemical change in water that has a bad effect on organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses

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sources of pollution (2)

point sources and non-point sources

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point source

-easy to monitor and regulate

ex. factories, power plant, oil wells, sewage treatment plants

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non-point source

-difficult to monitor, regulate and treat since pollution is periodic

ex. run-off from farms, lawns, construction sites, parking lots

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organisms magnify water pollutants

-pollutants that dont degrade easily stay in the environment for a long time

-ex. DDT pesticide, heavy metals (mercury) PCBs in plastic

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which ones are banned in canada

-DDT and PCBs

-when they enter the water, microscopic organisms like phytoplankton take them up and collect in their cells and tissue

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bioaccumulation

the process by which pollutants collect in the cells and tissues of organisms

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biomagnification

the increase in concentration of pollutants in tissues of organisms that are at successively higher levels in a food chain or food web

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carbon cycle

-carob dioxide move from atmosphere to biosphere thru photosyn and cell resp

-moves back to atmosphere when organisms die and decompose

-carbon enters geosphere where remains of organisms are trapped under sediment layers

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carbon is not always used immediately

-stored in tissue of trees

-stored in decomposing remains of organisms buried deep in ground (overtime the stored carbon transfoms into carbon rich fossil fuels

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how can this upset balance

humans upset this

-burning trees, coal, oil and natural gas releases stroed carbon into air as dioxide

-its also a greenhouse gas

-extra dioxide in air traps heaet in atmosphere leading to global warming and climate change

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global warming

increase in average temp of earths surface

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global climate change

a long term change in earths climate

-can be caused by natural factors or human activity

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natural factors

-variations in greenhouse gas

-changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation

-changes in earths orbit

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human activity

increase in greenhouse gases due to burning of fossil fuels

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effects of excess carbon in cycle

earths surface temp: increased by between 0.56 degress and 0.92 degress in past 100 years

-this "small'' change can affect all conditions in all of earths sphere

also melting sea and land ice

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example from warmer temp

-land and sea ice melts = sea level rises = coastal flooding occurs

-warmer seawater absorbs more dioxide = seawater becomes acidic = coral reefs and other ecosystems are harmed

-xtreme weather events increase = more heat waves = human illness and deaths occur

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melting sea and land ice

-this lead to destruction of habitats for polar organisms, increased local flooding and release of metahnce gas (greenhouse gas) from melting permafrost

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rising sea level

-some islands have gone underwater

-salt water get into the drinking water supply

-coastal flooding and destrcution of wetlands

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changing ocean chemistry

-ocean becomes more acidic cu it absorbs more dioxide from air

-an acidic and warming ocean can destroy coral reefs since it dissolves the organism's shells

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nitrogen cycle

-is a nutrient that cells need to build proteins

-it makes up 78% of air, but organisms cant use this form of nitrogen

-nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil and water change nitrogen into forms that plants can use

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excess nitrogen (overgrowth of algae)

-due to human activities

-burning of fossil fuels (emits nitrogen oxide gas)

-clearing of forests and grasslands

-fertilizer use

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fertilizer use

-contain nitrates

-not all is used by plants, some stay in soil

-excess nitrogen in fertilizer gets carried into auwatic ecosystems when it rains

-nitrogen in waterways leads to an overgrowhtof algae (algal boom) since there is too much of the nutrient

-the algae blocks the sunlight from reaching organisms in deep water

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phosphorus cycle

-a nutrient essential for growth and development of organisms

-stored in geosphere

-when rock is broken down through weathering, its released into soil + water

-plants absorb phos and animals obtain when they eat plants and animals

-decomposers return phos to soil and water as they break down dead organisms

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excess phos (overgrowth of algae)

-due to human activities

-found in dishwashing and laundry detergents

-fertilizer use

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fertilizer use (phos)

-similar to nitrogen, phos in run-off from agricultural fields lead to overgrowth of algae

-algae blocks sunlight from deepwater and die