Download Geochemical Cycles

Geochemical Cycles
MP 1.5
Water Cycle = Hydrological Cycle
• A series of
events where
water is
stored and/or
transferred.
Water Storage
• Water is stored in lakes, rivers, clouds, snow, and
glaciers.
Methods of Transfer
• Precipitation (rain), rain runoff, condensation, sublimation,
evaporation, transpiration, and snowmelt.
The Carbon Cycle
• Shows where all carbon comes from and
goes to.
• All animals and most cells release CO2.
Plants use it to make food.
• Only photosynthesis and decomposition
return carbon to the earth most other
processes release it to the atmosphere
Carbon Cycle
• CO2 is a
greenhouse gas that
traps heat in the
atmosphere.
The Greenhouse Effect
Section 4-1
Sunlight
Some heat
escapes
into space
Greenhouse
gases trap
some heat
Earth’s surface
The Nitrogen Cycle
4 Processes of Nitrogen Cycle
• Fixation – breaks stable nitrogen molecule
apart so it can be attached, done by
lightning and bacteria.
• Decay – when plants and animals break
down they return their nitrogen to the earth
as ammonia.
• Nitrification – conversion of ammonia from
waste and decomposition to nitrates that
plants must consume to grow (like
fertilizer).
• Denitrification – Nitrates are turned back
into gas and released to atmosphere.
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Phosphorus Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
• Important for plants and animals because it is a
major constituent of DNA
• Unlike other cycles it does not have a gaseous
state at normal temperatures so it cycles through
soil, water and sediments.
• Plants pick it up through soil and animals get it
from eating plants or eating animals that eat
plants.
• Stored in rocks and sediments for millions of
years until released by weathering.