Download Cycles of Nature

• Carbon is the building
blocks of life (Organic!)
• CO2 = Carbon Dioxide
• Living things take in
Oxygen and give off
CO2 through Aerobic or
Cell Respiration.
• Plants take in CO2
through
photosynthesis and
produce Oxygen.
• Organisms contain the
most carbon in the
Carbon cycle.
• As organisms die and
enter the soil, they
eventually become fuel
over millions of years
(“fossil fuels.”)
• Natural Processes of
Volcanoes give off CO2
Cycles of Nature:
The Carbon Cycle
•
How Humans affect the
Carbon
Cycle
Greenhouse Gases
– Excess CO2 in the atmosphere acts as a trap for heat and water
vapor.
• Global Warming
– Warming of the Earth causes ice caps to melt, causing the
ocean to change temperature and salinity, raising sea levels,
changing climate & weather.
• Deforestation and Habitat Destruction
– Without Trees to undergo photosynthesis to
convert CO2 to Oxygen, Carbon levels will
continue to rise.
- Removal of trees also harms biodiversity
(the amount of different organisms) and
habitats for organisms.
Cycles of Nature:
The Water Cycle
• Evaporation – Water taken into
the atmosphere
• Transpiration – Plants losing
water through leaves
• Precipitation – Water that falls
from the atmosphere (rain, snow,
hail, etc)
• Runoff – Water that enters the
ocean
• Groundwater – Water that is
absorbed into the ground
• Water vapor is also given off by
volcanic eruptions.
• The Water Cycle helps cool the
Earth preventing large changes
in Global Temperatures.
•
How Humans affect the
Human Use of Water:
Water Cycle
– Agriculture
– Dams and Deforestation
– Urbanization (Living in Cities)
– Overuse of Aquifers
• Saltwater Intrusion
• Subsidence
• Clean Water supply
– 1 billion people (16%) do
not have any access to clean water.
– Can cause outbreaks of disease
(cholera, hepatitis)
• Acid Rain
– Hurts plants, animals and buildings
Cycles of Nature:
The Nitrogen Cycle
• 78% of the air is Nitrogen
• Plants use nitrogen in their
cellular processes
• Nitrogen is present in our
DNA and RNA and in
amino acids (proteins).
• The food chain largely moves
Nitrogen around.
• Bacteria and Lightning
takes Nitrogen gas and puts
into a useable form (called
Nitrogen Fixation)
• Bacteria have a mutualisitic
relationship with plants and
live on their roots.
How Humans affect the
Nitrogen Cycle
• Humans contribute extra Nitrogen in the cycle
due to fertilizers and animal waste (hog
lagoons) that runoff into in the lakes and rivers.
• Extra Nitrogen in the groundwater can interfere
with blood/oxygen levels and cause blue-baby
syndrome.
• Excess Nitrogen can cause Eutrophication
which causes aquatic life to die due to the low
levels of oxygen. (fish kills)
• High levels of ammonia is also toxic to animals.