Biogeochemical Cycles

Pay attention to processes, resevoirs, and human impact

Water cycle:

• resevoirs (where we’re holding it): snow, ice, lakes, etc

Carbon cycle:

• 

• Human impact: burn fossil fuels → carbon is released that was originally “sequestered” (hidden away)

• Resevoir: the atmosphere, disolved in the ocean, caron fossil fuels

Nitrogen cycle:

• pay attention to how we move it from nitrogen

• atmospheric nitrogen (unusable) is moved to lithosphere through

  • lightning

  • bacteria and cyanobacteria

    • 

  • nitrifrication:

    

  • Denitrification: nitrogen ions converted back

Phosphorus cycle:

• only nutrient that doesn’t cycle through atmosphere

• slowest nutrient cycle

• human impact:

  • clearing forests,

Sulfur cycle:

• most sulfer has resevoirs in rocks & deep under ocean sediments

• weathering releases sulfuer from lithosphere

• atmospheric sulfur in the form of sulfur dioxide SO2

• Humans burn sulfer (contains coal and oil), refine sulfuer (containing petroleum / fossil fuels) and convert sulfuer (containing metallic mineral areas)