Chapter 4

Question 1

Sedimentary Cycle

Answer 1

-most matter in lithosphere

Question 2

Gaseous Cycle

Answer 2

most matter in atmosphere

Question 3

6 nutrients on earth (97% of organic mass)

Answer 3

C
O
H
P
N
S

Question 4

Residence Time

Answer 4

how fast something moves through a system or stays in a particular region in space

Question 5

Gaseous phase

Answer 5

speeds up a cycle- gas molecules move quickly

Question 6

Hydrological Cycle

Answer 6

water plays a major role in mobilization and transport of materials

Question 7

Phosphorus

Answer 7

• macronutrient needed in great amounts
• essential for metabolism
• relatively rare and thus a limiting nutrient
• not in atmosphere (ONLY ONE)
• plants good at storing
• can be stored in terrestrial biosphere for 100 years
• limiting macronutrient

Question 8

Human impact on P cycle

Answer 8

• mining for fertilizer and detergent
• excess runoff into aquatic ecosystems
• water pollution
• biomass removal (accelerated erosion into streams, cut down trees=remove P)
• large [ organisms ]= lots of phosphates rich waste materials
• remove from ocean via fishing

Question 9

Ocean Dead Zone

Answer 9

near major cities from sewage running into ocean

Question 10

Sulphur

Answer 10

• building component of proteins
• atmospheric component
• not limiting
• can have too much sulphur sometimes
• plants need chemoautotrophs to transform S from lithosphere (sydney tar ponds)
• naturally released from volcano
• wetlands have lots of sulphur

Question 11

Human Intervention on S cycle

Answer 11

1. Burning coal that contains sulphur

2. smelting metal ores that contain sulphates

Question 12

Montreal Protocol

Answer 12

required scrubbers on smoke stacks to get rid of sulphur

• 99% of SO2 and 33% of S in atmosphere is due to humans
• ACID RAIN

Question 13

Nitrogen

Answer 13

Limiting factor- chlorophyll, proteins, amino acids

• atmosphere >78% N
• acid rain, ozone depletion, & climate change
• bacteria= key player in moving nutrients around

Question 14

Similarities of N to S

Answer 14

• contributes to acid rain

- depends on microbial action to become accessible to plants

Question 15

Similarities of N to P

Answer 15

-limiting factor for growth (eutrophication)

Question 16

Human Impact on N cycle

Answer 16

fertilizers and animal waste- eutrophication

• denitrification- transforms fertilizers to NO= greenhouse gases and ozone loss
• N-rich crops deplete soil of N
• NO from cars= acid rain
• deforestation= nitrogen release
• plowing fields= nitrogen release

Question 17

Why are we using more N than ever before?

Answer 17

More cars on road

-increase crop production thus need to use more fertilizer

Question 18

Why does the East have more alkaline soil?

Answer 18

Due to type of rock along hte Canadian shield, parent material and less alkaline soil

Question 19

Carbon Cycle

Answer 19

• makes up 0.038% of atmophere
• taken up by plants as CO2 from atmosphere
• fossil fuels made from it via heat and pressure
• put into ocean makes ocean acidic (eats shells of shellfish)
• atmosphere is main reservoir

Question 20

Human impact on C cycle

Answer 20

• loss of trees= decrease uptake and storage of carbon

- burning fossil fuels= increase greenhouse gases

Question 21

Synergistic Effects

Answer 21

all C and N cycles are linked together and have similar effects on climate warming

Question 22

Hydrological Cycle

Answer 22

water=necessary for life 
- fuelled by solar that creates evaporation, precipitation etc 
-assists other cycles 
-ocean is major reservoir 
-

Question 23

Human Impacts on hydro cycle

Answer 23

• pollution above and below ground
• global warming (increase evaporation and transpiration rates)
• wetland draining (dry out)
• land use changes
• overconsumption
• flood control
• cloud seeding

Question 24

Evapotranspiration

Answer 24

evaporation and transpiration

Question 25

transpiration

Answer 25

loss of water vapour from plants