Nutrient Cycles Water, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and more

What happens to matter? Matter Cycles Unlike energy which flows and is ‘lost’, Matter is reused and transformed by living organisms All matter cycles, but the most commonly studied cycles are those that pertain directly to life: Water, Nitrogen, Carbon, and Phosphorous

The Water Cycle Water is known as the universal solvent. The water or ‘hydrologic’ cycle occurs through many transformations of water from solid to liquid to gas. These changes are accomplished by natural phenomenon as seen In the diagram to the right: The cycle as a whole describes The movement of water between Storage houses of liquid bodies, Ice, and atmospheric gas.

Water Cycle Cont. Life depends on the water cycle because it carries water and other materials around the world. Depending on the store or water, it’s movement can take from 9 days to 20,000 years. Average reservoir residence times ReservoirAverage residence time Antarctica20,000 years Oceans3,200 years Glaciers20 to 100 years Seasonal snow cover2 to 6 months Soil moisture1 to 2 months Groundwater: shallow100 to 200 years Groundwater: deep10,000 years Lakes (see lake retention time)lake retention time 50 to 100 years Rivers2 to 6 months Atmosphere9 days

Human Impact? Global warming or climate change are often attributed as causes of rising water levels worldwide due to ice-caps melting. Human pollution has caused chemical changes in the hydrologic cycle, creating problems like acid rain, and tainted water supplies Humans also take part in the hydrologic cycle – every breath releases some H2O into the atmosphere.

Nutrient Cycle Poster Presentations Requirements: Importance of Nutrient to living organisms Major forms of nutrient and where they are found/ used How the nutrient changes between forms The timeframe of the cycle Human Impact on the cycle Poster: Must include all of the above information as well as descriptive diagrams depicting how the cycle works. You must be able to explain this diagram Write-up: You must include a write-up of your poster presentation; describing your talking points and summarizing your poster.

Presentation Oct 23 You will receive a number – Carbon Cycle 2 – Nitrogen Cycle 3 – Phosphorous Cycle You will present your project in groups of 3, containing at least one poster on each cycle. Your group will mark your presentation based on the rubric we created in class. I will mark your poster, write-up, and summarize your peer grading.

Getting Started By the end of class today I want to see: A rough sketch of your cycle Major forms of your nutrient, and some of their stores 2 questions you have that you will need to answer before you present