Download Cycles of Matter

Cycles of Matter
Water Cycle
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Water moves between the Earth’s surface and
the atmosphere
The sun provides the energy to drive the cycle
Evaporation – water changes from a liquid to
a gas
Precipitation – water vapor cools and falls to
Earth as rain, sleet, or snow
Groundwater – layer of water underground
Water Cycle
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Living organisms move water about…
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Carried within bodies (by drinking it or extracting
it from food)
During respiration, water is excreted
Water also evaporates from the skin as sweat
Plant roots collect water from the soil
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Some is used for photosynthesis
Some is evaporated or transpired from the leaves
Water Cycle
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What are the 3 phases of water?
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Solid
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Liquid
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Ex. Glaciers, ice on the surface of a lake or pond
Ex. oceans, rivers, streams, lakes
Gas
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Ex. Water vapor
Water vapor cannot be seen, but we know that fog and
clouds contain it
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
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Carbon is an essential part of proteins, lipids,
carbohydrates, and nucleic acids needed for life
Producers take CO2 from the atmosphere to
undergo photosynthesis
Consumers eat the producers to obtain carbon
CO2 is released back to the atmosphere during
cellular respiration
Fossil fuels store carbon that is then released
when they are burned
Carbon Cycle
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Four main reservoirs of carbon:
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Atmosphere
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Terrestrial Biosphere
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Includes freshwater, soil
Oceans
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Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide
Dissolved carbon, living organisms in the ocean
Sediments
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Fossil fuels
Carbon Cycle
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Four processes involved in the carbon cycle:
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Biological processes – photosynthesis, respiration
& decomposition
Geochemical processes – release of carbon dioxide
gas into the atmosphere by volcanoes
Mixed biogeochemical processes – burial of
carbon-rich organisms and their conversion to
fossil fuels
Human activity – mining, burning of fossil fuels
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
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All organisms need nitrogen to build
proteins
Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of the
atmosphere
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria – Convert
nitrogen from the air into ammonia
(nitrogen fixation)
Nitrogen Cycle
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Ammonia is converted into nitrates and
nitrites, which plants and other producers
can use (nitrification)
Bacteria convert nitrogen in the soil into
atmospheric nitrogen (denitrification)
Decomposers return nitrogen to the soil
Nitrogen Cycle