1. Nutrient Cycles
WATER
CARBON
NITROGEN

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

3. The Water Cycle

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

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

6. The Water Cycle
Condensation - Water in the atmosphere that clumps together to form clouds.
The water molecules come together, or condense, into liquid or solid form.

7. The Water Cycle
Precipitation - Water that falls from the atmosphere in the form of liquid (rain) or solid (snow, ice) to the earth (lithosphere)

8. The Water Cycle
Runoff - Water on the earth (lithosphere) that flows into bodies of water (hydrosphere)
Water flows downward according to gravity
Human activities can affect runoff
Examples: flooding, pollution

13. The Water Cycle Ground Water - Water stored in the Earth (lithosphere)
About 1.7 % of Earth’s water is ground water but 30.1 % of all our fresh water (drinking water) appears as ground water

14. The Carbon Cycle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22. 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

23. Pollution

24. The Nitrogen Cycle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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