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Environmental Science AS > Biogeochemical cycles > Flashcards

Biogeochemical cycles Flashcards

1
Q

What are the carbon reservoirs

A
  • atmosphere
  • hydrosphere
  • lithosphere (rocks and fossil fuel)
  • living things
  • dead organic matter
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2
Q

What is photosynthesis and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • plants use sunlight to synthesise nutrients from carbon dioxide and water
  • atmosphere - biosphere
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3
Q

What is respiration and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • living organisms involving the production of energy intake of oxygen and release of CO2
  • biosphere - atmosphere
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4
Q

What is food chain transfer and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • transfer of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism
  • biosphere - biosphere
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5
Q

What is fossilisation and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • animal or plant becoming preserved in a hard form
  • biosphere - lithosphere
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6
Q

What is combustion and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light
  • lithosphere - atmosphere
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7
Q

What is decomposition and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • break up into constituent parts by or as if by a chemical process
  • biosphere - atmosphere
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8
Q

What is volcanic activity and how does carbon move from one reservoir to another

A
  • ranges from emissions of gases, non - explosive lava emissions to extremely violet explosive bursts that may last many hours
  • lithosphere - atmosphere
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9
Q

How does deforestation affect process and what are the consequences

A
  • decrease photosynthesis
  • decrease food chain transfer
  • increases amount of CO2 in atmosphere
  • contributes to climate change
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10
Q

How does combustion of fossil fuels affect processes and what are the consequences

A
  • increase combustion
  • releases stored carbon into the atmosphere
  • contributes to climate change
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11
Q

How does afforestation affect processes and what are the consequences

A
  • increases photosynthesis
  • increases food chain transfer
  • decreases amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
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12
Q

How does intensive farming affect processes and what are the consequences

A
  • increase decomposition
  • can either increase or decrease photosynthesis
  • increase CO2 in atmosphere
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13
Q

How does pollution of oceans affect carbon processes and what are the consequences

A
  • increase in CO2
  • decrease in respiration
  • reduce amount of CO2 released
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14
Q

What are the nitrogen reservoirs

A
  • atmosphere
  • biosphere
  • lithosphere
  • hydrosphere
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15
Q

What is ionisation

A
  • lightning provides energy for atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen to react and produce oxides of nitrogen
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16
Q

What is fixation

A
  • microorganisms that can chemically reduce nitrogen to ammonia
17
Q

What is nitrogen food chain transfer

A
  • nitrogen passes between organisms as amino acids and proteins in food
18
Q

What is nitrification

A
  • involves the oxidation of ammonium ions to nitrites, then to nitrates, by nitrifying bacteria in the soil
19
Q

What is denitrification

A
  • chemical reduction of nitrates in soil to nitrogen and nitrogen oxide gases, by denitrifying bacteria in the soil
20
Q

What is leaching

A
  • the high solubility of nitrates means they are easily leached out of the soils and into water bodies where they act as nutrients for aquatic plants and algae
21
Q

What is absorption by roots nitrogen

A
  • plants absorb nitrogen as soluble ions, mainly as nitrate but also as ammonium ions
22
Q

What is ammonification

A
  • the amino groups in proteins are released as ammonium ions by the action of bacteria, fungi as they decompose dead organic matter
23
Q

How does the Haber process impact the nitrogen reservoirs and availability

A
  • turning air into fertilisers
  • use large amounts of energy
  • ammonia is then converted to nitrates
24
Q

How does agricultural activities impact nitrogen reservoirs and availability

A
  • use of fertilisers : nitrate fertilisers may increase problems caused by leaching
  • drainage systems : makes soil more aerobic so increases the number of nitrifying bacteria
  • soil disturbance : ploughing - increases rate of decomposition which releases more nitrogen oxides
25
Q

How does pollution impact nitrogen reservoirs and availability

A
  • combustion releases oxides of nitrogen
26
Q

Explain the process of eutrophication

A
  • nutrients are transported to a body of water - contains fertilisers
  • build up of nutrients cause algae blooms
  • stops light getting to the plants that photosynthesise
  • these plants die which decreases oxygen levels
  • water becomes anoxic
  • causes all organisms to die
27
Q

What are the phosphorus reservoirs

A
  • animals and plants
  • sediments and rocks
  • water
28
Q

Why is phosphorus often a limiting factor in plant growth

A
  • no atmosphere reservoir: slower to cycle
29
Q

What is absorption by roots with phosphorus

A
  • phosphate ions in solution
  • solution taken up by the roots of plants
  • plants use it to make DNA & RNA etc
30
Q

What is food chain transfer

A
  • one organism consumes another
  • phosphorus moves along and becomes more available
31
Q

What is decomposition

A
  • living organisms die
  • microbes break down dead organic matter
  • release phosphorus back to the soil
32
Q

What is sedimentation in phosphate

A
  • phosphate ends up in sediments
  • become rocks
33
Q

What is mountain building

A
  • plate tectonics move from underground to the surface
34
Q

What is weathering/erosion

A
  • rocks exposed to the surface are weathered and eroded
35
Q

What human activities causes the most impact on the movement and storage of phosphorus

A
  • fertilisers : contain phosphate
  • mining : obtaining phosphorus from fertilisers
36
Q

Sustainable management of the carbon cycle

A
  • afforestation : increase photosynthesis
  • reduce combustion
  • carbon capture
37
Q

Sustainable management of the nitrogen cycle

A
  • reduce use of combustion engines in vehicles
  • reduce reliance of fertilisers
  • educate farmers on weather conditions
38
Q

Sustainable management of the phosphorus cycle

A
  • increase in natural fertilisers
  • crop breeding programmes

Environmental Science AS (19 decks)

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