Carbon Cycle:
1. How does carbon exist in the atmosphere?
Carbon is an element that is moving in our oceans, air, rocks, soil, and all living things.
2. How are fossil fuels created? Explain.
Most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas and the rest gets dissolved into sea water.
3. Describe two ways that carbon enters the atmosphere.
Since carbon is the plants' food, it is in all other living things, and when they die all of these nutrients start decomposing into the ground. Then after a millions of years the nutrients will become fossils.
4. How are the oceans involved in the carbon cycle?
As huge amount of carbon is released from fuels, 3.3 billion tons enters the atmosphere and most of the rest of carbon that is in the air gets dissolved and goes into the ocean sea water.
5. How is the temperature of the Earth partly controlled by carbon?
Carbon dioxide is like a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it , the Earth would be like a frozen world. All these greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is what is causing our planet to become warmer.
6. What role do rocks have within the carbon cycle?
Carbon moves through our planet over longer time scales. For example, over millions of years weathering of rocks on land can add carbon to surface water which eventually runs off to the ocean. Over long time scales, carbon is removed from seawater when the shells and bones of marine animals and plankton collect on the sea floor. These shells and bones are made of limestone, which contains carbon. When they are deposited on the sea floor, carbon is stored from the rest of the carbon cycle for some amount of time
Game Notes:
7. Where are you starting within the carbon cycle?
8. How much of the atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide (CO2)?
Only a small amount ,0.04%, of the atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide.
9. By how much has CO2 increased in the atmosphere during the past 150 years?
The amount has increased 30% in the past 150 years.
10. Next stop =
What did you learn?
What I learned was that the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the land does. The surface ocean takes in approximately 90 Gigatons of carbon per year. Another thing I learned was that cold water can absorb carbon faster than warm water.
11. Next stop =
What did you learn?
What I learned here was that Marine life cannot survive without carbon, but high levels of carbon dissolved in ocean waters are harmful to marine organisms such as algae, mollusks, and corals.
12. Next stop =
What did you learn?
When carbon gets to the deep ocean, it usually stays there for hundreds of years before moving on. The deep ocean holds more than 65% of the Earth's carbon.
13. Next stop =
What did you learn?
As more carbon dioxide is added to our atmosphere, plants will be able to grow faster. Plants also release carbon back to the atmosphere by respiration.
14. Next stop =
What did you learn?
Soil is also made of inorganic parts such as sand, silt, and clay. Soils store about 3% of Earth's carbon. As bacteria and fungi breakdown the detritus, carbon is sent into the atmosphere.
15.The deep ocean accounts for more than 65% of the Earth’s carbon.
16. How much carbon does the surface ocean absorb from the atmosphere each year?
90 Gigatons
17. When plants die and decay, they bring carbon into soil.
True
When carbon enters the deep ocean, how long does it stay there?
For hundreds of years
Phytoplankton are tiny plants and algae that float in the ocean and take up carbon
dioxide as they grow.
True
Plants both absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and release it into the atmosphere.
True
7. Where are you starting within the carbon cycle?
8. How much of the atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide (CO2)?
Only a small amount ,0.04%, of the atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide.
9. By how much has CO2 increased in the atmosphere during the past 150 years?
The amount has increased 30% in the past 150 years.
10. Next stop =
What did you learn?
What I learned was that the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the land does. The surface ocean takes in approximately 90 Gigatons of carbon per year. Another thing I learned was that cold water can absorb carbon faster than warm water.
11. Next stop =
What did you learn?
What I learned here was that Marine life cannot survive without carbon, but high levels of carbon dissolved in ocean waters are harmful to marine organisms such as algae, mollusks, and corals.
12. Next stop =
What did you learn?
When carbon gets to the deep ocean, it usually stays there for hundreds of years before moving on. The deep ocean holds more than 65% of the Earth's carbon.
13. Next stop =
What did you learn?
As more carbon dioxide is added to our atmosphere, plants will be able to grow faster. Plants also release carbon back to the atmosphere by respiration.
14. Next stop =
What did you learn?
Soil is also made of inorganic parts such as sand, silt, and clay. Soils store about 3% of Earth's carbon. As bacteria and fungi breakdown the detritus, carbon is sent into the atmosphere.
15.The deep ocean accounts for more than 65% of the Earth’s carbon.
16. How much carbon does the surface ocean absorb from the atmosphere each year?
90 Gigatons
17. When plants die and decay, they bring carbon into soil.
True
When carbon enters the deep ocean, how long does it stay there?
For hundreds of years
Phytoplankton are tiny plants and algae that float in the ocean and take up carbon
dioxide as they grow.
True
Plants both absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and release it into the atmosphere.
True
Nitrogen Cycle:
16. What are the two conditions under which nitrogen will react with oxygen? (In other
words, what is necessary for nitrogen in the air to combine with oxygen?)
Nitrogen will only react with oxygen in the presence of high temperatures or pressure.
17. What are the two compounds that are formed when nitrogen combines with oxygen?
Nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, are formed when nitrogen and oxygen combine.
18. How does nitric acid (HNO3) form?
Nitric acid forms when nitrogen dioxide reacts with rain water
19. Why is nitric acid (HNO3) important?
Nitric aid is important because it is used as a plant nutrient.
20. What percentage of the air we breathe is nitrogen?
Only 79% of the air that we breath is nitrogen gas
21. Even though considerable nitrogen is available in the air, most plants do not use the nitrogen
(N2) found in the air. Why not?
Plants do not use nitrogen completely because it will become Ammonia
22. In what compounds can plants use nitrogen?
Plants must incorporated compounds such as:
23. How do animals get the nitrogen they need?
Animals get nitrogen when they eat the plants that consume nitrogen.
24. a) What is atmospheric fixation?
The energy of light breaks apartnitrogen molecules and enables their atoms and combines them with oxygen in the air forming nitrogen oxides.
b) What is industrial fixation?
Industrial fixation is a process in where men is trying to break apart the nitrogen molecules so later on they will create ammonia.
c) What is biological fixation?
Something with the ability to fix nitrogen is found only in certain bacteria and archaea.
25. Why is nitrogen needed by plants and animals?
Nitrogen is needed by plants and animals because they need as inorganic nitrate from the soil solution. Ammonium is used less by plants for uptake because in large concentrations it is extremely toxic. Animals receive the required nitrogen they need for metabolism, growth, and reproduction by the consumption of living or dead organic matter containing molecules composed partially of nitrogen.
16. What are the two conditions under which nitrogen will react with oxygen? (In other
words, what is necessary for nitrogen in the air to combine with oxygen?)
Nitrogen will only react with oxygen in the presence of high temperatures or pressure.
17. What are the two compounds that are formed when nitrogen combines with oxygen?
Nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, are formed when nitrogen and oxygen combine.
18. How does nitric acid (HNO3) form?
Nitric acid forms when nitrogen dioxide reacts with rain water
19. Why is nitric acid (HNO3) important?
Nitric aid is important because it is used as a plant nutrient.
20. What percentage of the air we breathe is nitrogen?
Only 79% of the air that we breath is nitrogen gas
21. Even though considerable nitrogen is available in the air, most plants do not use the nitrogen
(N2) found in the air. Why not?
Plants do not use nitrogen completely because it will become Ammonia
22. In what compounds can plants use nitrogen?
Plants must incorporated compounds such as:
- nitrate ions (NO3−)
- ammonium ions (NH4+)
- urea (NH2)2CO
23. How do animals get the nitrogen they need?
Animals get nitrogen when they eat the plants that consume nitrogen.
24. a) What is atmospheric fixation?
The energy of light breaks apartnitrogen molecules and enables their atoms and combines them with oxygen in the air forming nitrogen oxides.
b) What is industrial fixation?
Industrial fixation is a process in where men is trying to break apart the nitrogen molecules so later on they will create ammonia.
c) What is biological fixation?
Something with the ability to fix nitrogen is found only in certain bacteria and archaea.
25. Why is nitrogen needed by plants and animals?
Nitrogen is needed by plants and animals because they need as inorganic nitrate from the soil solution. Ammonium is used less by plants for uptake because in large concentrations it is extremely toxic. Animals receive the required nitrogen they need for metabolism, growth, and reproduction by the consumption of living or dead organic matter containing molecules composed partially of nitrogen.
The Water Cycle:
26. Define "water cycle"
A cool process made up of 6 phases : Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Surface Runoff, Infiltration, and Transpiration.
26. Define "water cycle"
A cool process made up of 6 phases : Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Surface Runoff, Infiltration, and Transpiration.