1 / 33

Understanding Earth's Nutrient Cycles: The Interconnectedness of Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen

This resource explores the intricate relationships between Earth’s four spheres—atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere—through the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles. Learn how water vapor condenses, precipitates, and flows, how carbon is exchanged in various forms, and the essential roles that nitrogen fixation and decomposition play in maintaining ecosystem health. The cycles demonstrate the important interactions between living organisms and their environment, highlighting our dependence on these processes for life, food, and clean water.

idalia
Download Presentation

Understanding Earth's Nutrient Cycles: The Interconnectedness of Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Nutrient Cycles CARBON WATER NITROGEN PHOSPHOROUS

  2. Earth’s 4 Spheres air life water earth/rocks

  3. The Water Cycle

  4. The Water Cycle Condensation Evaporation Precipitation Transpiration Runoff Groundwater Human Uses Human Waste

  5. Evaporation • Water that rises from the earth (lithosphere or biosphere) into the atmosphere

  6. Condensation • Water in the atmosphere that clumps together to form clouds

  7. Precipitation • Water that falls from the atmosphere to the earth (lithosphere)

  8. Runoff • Water on the earth (lithosphere) that flows into bodies of water (hydrosphere)

  9. Human Uses • We need water to live • For our bodies • To clean our food and ourselves

  10. Human Waste • Animals (including humans) return water to ground and bodies of water through urine

  11. Groundwater • Water stored in the lithosphere

  12. The Carbon Cycle

  13. The Carbon Cycle Pollution Photosynthesis Gas Exchange Carbon Fixation Gas Exchange Burning Fossil Fuels Animal Waste Decomposition Fossilization

  14. Gas Exchange • CO2 exchanges between water and the atmosphere • dissolves from the atmosphere into water (the hydrosphere) • rises out of water into the atmosphere

  15. Photosynthesis • Plants use CO2 from the atmosphere to make glucose sugar (C6H12O6)

  16. Carbon Fixation • When CO2 leaves the atmosphere and enters the biosphere (usually photosynthesis)

  17. Animal Waste • Carbon compounds are released through solid waste into land and water (the lithosphere and hydrosphere)

  18. Decomposition • Carbon is decomposed (by bacteria and other decomposers) into soil

  19. Fossilization • When plants and animals die, the carbon in their bodies may be turned into fossil fuels • Under the right heat and pressure

  20. 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

  21. Pollution • CO2 from the burnt fuels is released back into the atmosphere

  22. The Nitrogen Cycle

  23. The Nitrogen Cycle Burning Fossil Fuels Animal Use De-nitrification Nitrogen Fixation Waste Runoff Plant Use

  24. Nitrogen Fixation • Lightning and bacteria put atmospheric nitrogen into the lithosphere and hydrosphere (NO3 and NH3)

  25. Plant Use • Plants use nitrogen to make amino acids (the building blocks of proteins!) • From the atmosphere to the biosphere

  26. Animal Use • Animals break apart the plant proteins and use the amino acids to build their own proteins • Stays in the biosphere

  27. Waste • Decomposers break down animals and plant matter into nitrogen for the soil (lithosphere and biosphere)

  28. De-nitrification • Decomposers turn nitrogen compounds back into nitrogen gas (lithosphere to atmosphere)

  29. Runoff • Runoff washes nitrogen from the ground into water (lithosphere into the hydrosphere)

  30. Burning Fossil Fuels • Nitrogen enters the atmosphere as pollution from our factories • Lithosphere to atmosphere

  31. Question 1: Explain how the Earth’s 4 spheres are connected through the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.

  32. 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!!!

More Related