environmental cycles

Question 1

water cycle

Answer 1

a biogeochemical cycle that involves the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth

Question 2

transpiration

Answer 2

evaporation of water from plants

Question 3

condensation

Answer 3

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it

Question 4

precipitation

Answer 4

water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail

Question 5

surface run off

Answer 5

is the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface

Question 6

infiltration

Answer 6

the process where precipitation or water infuses into subsurface soils, is absorbed by the soil, and travels deeper through pore spaces and cracks into rocks

Question 7

ground water flow

Answer 7

the movement of water underground through the spaces and cracks between soil particles

Question 8

aquifer

Answer 8

a water-bearing rock that readily transmits water to wells and springs

Question 9

evaporation

Answer 9

liquid water transitions to water vapor in the atmosphere. It occurs when sunlight warms the surface of water, causing water molecules to move faster and escape as a gas

Question 10

freezing

Answer 10

liquid water turns into a solid (ice)

Question 11

melting

Answer 11

solid ice gains heat and changes state to liquid water. The Sun’s heat causes glaciers and snow to melt into liquid water, which goes into oceans, lakes, and streams

Question 12

sublimation

Answer 12

the direct conversion of ice or snow into water vapor (gas) without first melting into liquid water

Question 13

deposition

Answer 13

The process where water vapor (gas) changes directly into ice (solid) without going through the liquid phase

Question 14

percolation

Answer 14

movement of water through the soil itself

Question 15

carbon cycle

Answer 15

the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels

Question 16

volcanic eruptions

Answer 16

releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Question 17

photosynthesis

Answer 17

green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water.

Question 18

carbon sequestration

Answer 18

the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Question 19

cellular respiration

Answer 19

a process through which cells convert sugars into energy

Question 20

decomposition

Answer 20

the state or process of rotting; decay

Question 21

fossilisation

Answer 21

minerals replace the constituents of bones, turning them to stone

Question 22

limestone weathering

Answer 22

When rainwater, which contains a weak carbonic acid, reacts with limestone, it causes the limestone to dissolve

Question 23

combustion of fossil fuels

Answer 23

process of burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, to produce energy

Question 24

deforestation and fires

Answer 24

destruction of forest cover caused by fire

Question 25

nitrogen Cycle

Answer 25

biogeochemical process that converts the inert nitrogen present in the atmosphere to a more usable form for living organisms

Question 26

atmospheric nitrogen fixation

Answer 26

atmospheric nitrogen gas is converted to nitrogenous compounds and bounded or stored in the soil by various bacteria

Question 27

assimilation

Answer 27

carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide is incorporated into organic molecules

Question 28

consumption

Answer 28

national emissions that have been adjusted for trade

Question 29

ammonification

Answer 29

microscopic organisms break down nitrogen-containing chemicals from dead organic matter into simpler substances like ammonia

Question 30

denitrification

Answer 30

Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process where nitrate is reduced and ultimately produces molecular nitrogen

Question 31

nitrogen fixation by bacteria

Answer 31

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are prokaryotic microorganisms that can transform nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into "fixed nitrogen" compounds, such as ammonia, that are usable by plants

Question 32

nitrification

Answer 32

Nitrification is the biological process in the nitrogen cycle that converts ammonia or ammonium compounds to nitrites and then to nitrates