Geochemical cycles Flashcards
Understand the objectives (19 cards)
What are the stages in the water cycle?
-Precipitation
-Runoff
-Infiltration
-Evaporation
-Transpiration
-Condensation
What is precipitation?
Water falls to earth as a liquid.
What is infiltration?
Some water seeps from the surface of the Earth to underground aquifers.
What is Runoff?
Liquid water that isn’t infiltrated runs along the surface and collects in puddles, lakes, oceans, or other bodies of water.
What is evaporation?
Sun heats liquid water to vapor and it rises to the atmosphere.
What is transpiration?
Water rises back into the atmosphere as water vapor from plants.
(Cellular Respiration)
What is condensation?
Water condenses to form clouds before precipitation again.
How do living organisms Effect the water cycle?
All organisms take in water for nutrient transport, chemical reactions, and diffusion.
All organisms need water for Cellular respiration.
What are negative human impacts on the water cycle?
-Deforestation : Lowers Transpiration
-Development/building: increases runoff and lowers infiltration
-Pollution
What are the stages in the Carbon Cycle?
-Photosynthesis
-Cellular Respiration
-Consumption
-Combustion
-Decomposition
-Fossilization
What is photosynthesis?
Plants capture CO2 from the atmosphere and use it to make sugar (glucose).
What is Cellular Respiration?
CO2 released into the atmosphere as waste from metabolism.
What is consumption?
One organism eats another for carbon.
What is combustion?
CO2 released into the atmosphere from burning.
What is Decomposition?
Decomposers break down carbon from dead organisms, allowing it to be recycled in the soil.
What is Fossilization?
Coverts carbon from once-living organisms into a fuel source through intense heat and compression.
What are the organism impacts on the carbon cycle?
-Decomposers break down dead material and return the nutrients to the sun.
-Photosynthetic organisms remove CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it to simple sugars.
-Animals and plants and fungi doing cellular respiration.
Negative human impacts on the carbon cycle
Combustion: Causes a major increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. 2
