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Nutrient Cycles. CARBON. WATER. NITROGEN. PHOSPHOROUS. Earth ’ s 4 Spheres. air. life. water. earth/rocks. The Water Cycle. The Water Cycle. Condensation. Evaporation. Precipitation. Transpiration. Runoff. Groundwater. Human Uses. Human Waste. Evaporation.
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Nutrient Cycles CARBON WATER NITROGEN PHOSPHOROUS
Earth’s 4 Spheres air life water earth/rocks
The Water Cycle Condensation Evaporation Precipitation Transpiration Runoff Groundwater Human Uses Human Waste
Evaporation • Water that rises from the earth (lithosphere or biosphere) into the atmosphere
Condensation • Water in the atmosphere that clumps together to form clouds
Precipitation • Water that falls from the atmosphere to the earth (lithosphere)
Runoff • Water on the earth (lithosphere) that flows into bodies of water (hydrosphere)
Human Uses • We need water to live • For our bodies • To clean our food and ourselves
Human Waste • Animals (including humans) return water to ground and bodies of water through urine
Groundwater • Water stored in the lithosphere
The Carbon Cycle Pollution Photosynthesis Gas Exchange Carbon Fixation Gas Exchange Burning Fossil Fuels Animal Waste Decomposition Fossilization
Gas Exchange • CO2 exchanges between water and the atmosphere • dissolves from the atmosphere into water (the hydrosphere) • rises out of water into the atmosphere
Photosynthesis • Plants use CO2 from the atmosphere to make glucose sugar (C6H12O6)
Carbon Fixation • When CO2 leaves the atmosphere and enters the biosphere (usually photosynthesis)
Animal Waste • Carbon compounds are released through solid waste into land and water (the lithosphere and hydrosphere)
Decomposition • Carbon is decomposed (by bacteria and other decomposers) into soil
Fossilization • When plants and animals die, the carbon in their bodies may be turned into fossil fuels • Under the right heat and pressure
Burning Fossil Fuels • We can burn these fossils and use the energy from them as fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) • CO2 is released when they are burnt
Pollution • CO2 from the burnt fuels is released back into the atmosphere
The Nitrogen Cycle Burning Fossil Fuels Animal Use De-nitrification Nitrogen Fixation Waste Runoff Plant Use
Nitrogen Fixation • Lightning and bacteria put atmospheric nitrogen into the lithosphere and hydrosphere (NO3 and NH3)
Plant Use • Plants use nitrogen to make amino acids (the building blocks of proteins!) • From the atmosphere to the biosphere
Animal Use • Animals break apart the plant proteins and use the amino acids to build their own proteins • Stays in the biosphere
Waste • Decomposers break down animals and plant matter into nitrogen for the soil (lithosphere and biosphere)
De-nitrification • Decomposers turn nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas (lithosphere to atmosphere)
Runoff • Runoff washes nitrogen from the ground into water (lithosphere into the hydrosphere)
Burning Fossil Fuels • Nitrogen enters the atmosphere as pollution from our factories • Lithosphere to atmosphere
Question 1: Explain how the Earth’s 4 spheres are connected through the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
Analysis: Yosemite National Park was my grandfather’s favorite place on earth. When he died, we spread some of his ashes there. Draw and label the path of a CARBON atom from Ms. Macway’s Grandpa’s remains to where it could become part of a hawk. Note: A hawk is a carnivore, but it did NOT dig up and consume my Grandpa’s remains!!!