Cycles

Question 1

Hydrologic (water) Cycle: Special Qualities

Answer 1

All living organisms need it to survive - High specific heat (once it warms up, it stays warm) - Can be a gas, solid, or liquid

Question 2

Hydrologic Cycle

Answer 2

Evaporation > Condensation > Precipitation > Runoff

Question 3

How can water be stored

Answer 3

As ice in glaciers or in underground aquifers

Question 4

Evaporation

Answer 4

Nice filtration method because pure H2O evaporates - liquid to gas

Question 5

Condensation

Answer 5

Gas to liquid - Clouds form

Question 6

Precipitation

Answer 6

Cloud got so heavy that H2O falls to the ground

Question 7

Runoff

Answer 7

So much precipitation that the ground can’t absorb anymore, so H2O runs off into aquatic ecosystems

Question 8

Human impact on the water cycle

Answer 8

Climate change, pump water out of ground, global warming melts glaciers, dams, water contamination and pollution, flooding from runoff, acidic precipitation

Question 9

Acid Deposition

Answer 9

Nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides release into the atmosphere combine with atmospheric oxygen and water - These become the secondary pollutants nitric acid and sulfuric acid

Question 10

PH Scale

Answer 10

How to measure acidity from a 0 to 14 scale

Question 11

Acids

Answer 11

Has a lot of hydrogen ions (H+) - EX. Citric acid - Can be 0 to 6 on PH scale

Question 12

Bases

Answer 12

Have hydroxide ions (OH-) - Very extreme - EX. Bleach - 8 to 14 on the PH scale

Question 13

Neutral

Answer 13

Must be a pure substance - EX. Pure water - 7 on the PH scale

Question 14

Acid Precipitation Effects

Answer 14

Lowers the PH of lake water - Decreased species diversity in aquatic ecosystems - Mobilized metals found in soils, like lead, and releases these into surface waters - Damages statues, monuments, buildings, and other structures

Question 15

Acid Precipitation Primary Pollutants

Answer 15

Nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxides are released by fossil fuels like coal plants and car exhausts then combine with water and oxygen to form secondary pollutants

Question 16

Acid Precipitation Secondary Pollutants

Answer 16

Nitric acid and sulfuric acid - Come from the primary pollutants

Question 17

Nitrogen Gas (N2)

Answer 17

Makes up 78% of the atmosphere - Cannot be used directly by most living organisms - Must be converted into something we can use (the whole point of the Nitrogen Cycle)

Question 18

Nitrogen Cycle Steps

Answer 18

1. Nitrogen Fixation
2. Nitrification
3. Ammonification
4. Denitrification

Question 19

Nitrogen Fixation Step

Answer 19

N2 (nitrogen gas) converted to NH3 (ammonia), some are made into NH4+ (ammonium)

Question 20

Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 20

“Fixes” or solidifies a gas into a solid form - Most organisms still can’t use this form - Done by many different types of bacteria

Question 21

Nitrification Step

Answer 21

NH3 (ammonia) and NH4+ (ammonium) converted to NO3- (nitrate ions) and NO2- (nitrite ions)

Question 22

Nitrification

Answer 22

Plants can use the NO3- really easily

Question 23

Ammonification Step

Answer 23

Decomposed bacteria convert NO3- (nitrate ions) back to NH3 (ammonia)

Question 24

Ammonification

Answer 24

Happens when the plant dies

Question 25

Denitrification Step

Answer 25

Anaerobic bacteria convert NHs (ammonia) and NH4+ (ammonium) back to NO2- (nitrite ions) and NO3- (nitrate ions), then into N2 (nitrogen gas), which are released back into the atmosphere

Question 26

Anaerobic

Answer 26

Don't require any oxygen

Question 27

The most necessary organism for the nitrogen cycle

Answer 27

Bacteria

Question 28

How nature impacts the nitrogen cycle

Answer 28

Volcano eruptions and electrical storms

Question 29

How humans impact the nitrogen cycle

Answer 29

Eutrophication - Dissolved oxygen - Warmer water usually means more algae - Certain algae can sometimes produce deadly toxins

Question 30

Eutrophication

Answer 30

Excessive richness of nutrients in a water body, frequently due to runoff from the loved, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen

Question 31

Eutrophication Nutrients Include

Answer 31

Potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus

Question 32

Eutrophication Example

Answer 32

When algae from large algae blooms die off, the oxygen levels drop

Question 33

Dissolved Oxygen

Answer 33

Amount of oxygen dissolved in H2O

Question 34

Dead Zones

Answer 34

When there is no oxygen in a carbon area - Nothing is able to live in it - Area where there is no dissolved oxygen, so organisms cannot survive there

Question 35

Carbon Cycle

Answer 35

Carbon is the basic building block of all organic molecules - Carbon circulates through the bio-atmosphere - Source vs. Sink

Question 36

Carbon Cycle Sources

Answer 36

Giving off carbon naturally through breathing or decomposing of organisms (especially large plants)

Question 37

Carbon Cycle Sinks

Answer 37

Plants, soil, water, and the atmosphere take up carbon - The ocean is becoming more acidic because it is bringing in more CO2

Question 38

Human Carbon Source Example

Answer 38

Fossil fuel use and emissions