Carbon cycle Rapid Carbon Biogeochemical Cycles Therefore, it is important that a balance between the amount of carbon stored in sinks and the amount that is emitted from various sources is maintained.Īlthough all biogeochemical cycles of carbon are linked, it is simpler to vizualise them using two systems. The Carbon CycleĪs a main component of biological compounds, carbon can be found in all living things, as well as many non-living things such as minerals, the atmosphere, the oceans and the interior of the earth.Īlthough carbon is an essential component for life, it is only due to a specific balance of atmospheric components and conditions that life, as we know it, is able to exist. Some of the groundwater emerges from springs and surface water bodies, eventually making its way back to the ocean. The water is then released into the atmospheric through evapotranspiration or is consumed when the plants are eaten. The groundwater is taken in by the roots of plants and is used for photosynthesis. Here it either infiltrates deep into the rock, and forms huge stores called aquifers or it remains relatively close to the surface as groundwater flow. Much of the water that fell as rain, soaks in to the ground through infiltration. This freshwater can be consumed by animals, who cycle the water through their bodies.
Furthermore some of this water joins with freshwater streams and rivers, which eventually lead to the oceans, or it may be stored within lakes and reservoirs. Some of the water that makes it to the ground is affected by gravity and flows back in to the ocean via surface runoff. Most of the snow that falls is either stored as ice caps, or melts to form streams and rivers. Eventually the water droplets grow large enough so that they are heavy enough to fall as precipitation (rain) or as snow, depending on the environmental conditions. This results in the water being stored within the atmosphere in the form of clouds.Īs the clouds are moved around the earth’s atmosphere they collide and grow.
As the water rises, it cools and condensation occurs. In this process, the liquid water is converted into water vapor and is taken up in to the atmosphere. Some of the surface water is heated by the sun, and evaporation takes place. Of the ocean water, a very small proportion becomes frozen at it reaches the poles, and is stored as ice within glaciers. As water in its various forms (vapor, liquid and ice) interacts with its surroundings, it alters the temperature and pressure of the atmosphere, creating wind, rain and currents, and is responsible for changing the structure of earth and rock through weathering.Īlthough there is no real beginning to the water cycle, 97% of the world’s water is stored within the oceans, so here is a logical place to start. The temperature, the amount, and the movement of water, have an effect all weather systems. On a geographical level, the biogeochemical cycle of water is responsible for weather patterns. It also aids in the enzymatic and chemical reactions required for metabolism, and it is used for temperature regulation. It is then used to transport these substances, as well as hormones, antibodies, oxygen and other substances around and out of the body. In complex organisms it is used to dissolve vitamins and mineral nutrients. The biogeochemical cycle of water, or the hydrological cycle describes the way that water (Hydrogen Dioxide or H 2O) is circulated and recycled throughout Earth’s systems.Īll living organisms, without exception, need water to survive and grow, making it one of the most important substances on Earth. Examples of Biogeochemical Cycle The Water Cycle These places are called “sinks” or “reservoirs”.Ī “source” is anything from which an element is output, for example volcanoes give off large amounts of carbon in the form of CO 2, while human waste is a source for nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous. within a rocky substrate, or in the atmosphere). “Bio-” is the biotic system, “geo-” is the geological component, and “chemical” is the elements which are moved through a “cycle”.Īt particular stages of their cycling, any of the elements may be stored and accumulated within a particular place for a long period time (e.g. With this knowledge, the words “biogeochemical cycle” can be easily broken down. The biosphere is sometimes called the ecosphere, and can be defined as the sum of all ecosystems. The biosphere is a term which can be used to describe the system that contains all living organisms, including plants, animals and bacteria, as well as their interactions among and between each other, and their interactions with the Earth’s abiotic systems.
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