LECTURE:06
Natural Cycles
Nitrogen cycle
Carbon Cycle
The carbon-oxygen cycle
Water Cycle
Biogeochemical cycles
We have adopted a model of the Earth System as a set of interacting
“spheres”, the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.
Being open systems, energy and mass are constantly cycled between
them. The transport and transformation of substances through the Earth
system are known collectively as biogeochemical cycles.
These include the hydrologic (water), nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen
cycles.
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen comprises 78.08 % of the
atmosphere making it the largest
constituent of the gaseous envelope
that surrounds the Earth. It is the most
abundant element in our planet’s
atmosphere.
Nitrogen is important in the make up of
organic molecules like proteins.
Unfortunately, nitrogen is inaccessible
to most living organisms.
Nitrogen must be “fixed” by soil
bacteria living in association with the
roots of particular plant like legumes,
clover, alfalfa, soybeans, peas, peanuts,
and beans.
Figure 1: The Nitrogen Cycle
Living on nodules around the roots of legumes, the bacteria chemically combine nitrogen in the air to
form nitrates (NO3) and ammonia (NH3) making it available to plants. Organisms that feed on the plants
ingest the nitrogen and release it in organic wastes. Denitrifying bacteria frees the nitrogen from the
wastes returning it to the atmosphere.
Nitrogen is used by life forms to carry out many of the functions of life. This element is
especially important to plant life. Yet nitrogen in its gaseous form is almost entirely
unusable to life forms.
It must first be converted or ‘fixed’ into a more usable form. The process of converting
nitrogen is called fixation.
There are specialized
bacteria whose function it
is to fix nitrogen,
converting it, so that it can
be used by plants. There
are still other bacteria who
do the reverse. That is, they
return nitrogen to is
gaseous form.
After nitrogen is fixed, it
can be absorbed, and used
by plants, and subsequently
by animals.
The process of nitrogen being fixed, used by plants and animals, and later
returned to the atmosphere is referred to as the nitrogen cycle.
Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen is the second most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere and an essential element of
most organic molecules. Though oxygen is passed between the lithosphere, biosphere and
atmosphere in a variety of ways, photosynthesizing vegetation is largely responsible for
oxygen found in the atmosphere.
Figure : The Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen Cycle
The cycling of oxygen through the Earth system is also
accomplished by weathering of carbonate rock.
Some atmospheric oxygen is bound to water molecules from
plant transpiration and evaporation.
Oxygen is also bound to carbon dioxide and released into the
atmosphere during animal respiration.
Carbon Cycle
The carbon cycle is a complex Earth system whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) is exchanged
among four main regions of the planet. In the carbon cycle, CO2 is recycled through the
atmosphere,
biosphere,
geosphere and
oceans
and other waterways in what
are called "sinks" or reservoirs.
Carbon Cycle
In the carbon cycle, land plants and animals are the most widely known respirators of the biosphere.
Plants take in CO2 and give off oxygen, while humans and animals do the opposite.
Issues such as deforestation, reforestation, increasing or decreasing human or animal populations
affect the carbon cycle that happens upon land.
But, in the carbon cycle, the
greatest exchange of CO2
appears between the
atmosphere and the oceans and
other waterways. Plant life in
the oceans, lakes and other
waterways use photosynthesis
to turn dissolved CO2 into
oxygen.
In the carbon cycle, carbon
dioxide is taken from the
atmosphere in several various
methods besides the plant life
already mentioned. At the
Earth's north and south poles,
cold seawater is especially
accepting of CO2 making, the
substance soluble.
In addition, the thermohaline
circulation of the ocean and
surface wind currents from the Gulf
Stream drive surface water to great
depths and distances, circulating
soluble CO2 throughout the oceans.
In another part of the cycle,
oceanic plant and animal life
absorb carbon in hard and soft
tissue of the organisms.
The weathering of carbon-
containing rocks on land that runoff
into the streams and oceans also
add to the carbon cycle.
Threatening part of the natural carbon cycle
But, the most threatening part of the natural carbon cycle are the parts that are not natural at all.
The burning of fossil fuels in the transportation industry and electrical generation in coal fired and
natural gas fired power plants create an imbalance in the carbon cycle.
Manmade activities such as the burning of fossil fuels over the past 100 or so years have led to
increased greenhouse gases that in turned have led to global warming.
Since it has taken decades for the carbon cycle to become out of balance, because of the release of
greenhouse gases, it will also take decades for man to reverse the effects of global warming. This is
assuming an earnest effort is made to reverse the effects, which is not a sure thing at this stage.
Using alternative fuels and particularly those created with renewable energy such as solar, wind and
water sources will help the carbon cycle to get back in sync. Without these efforts, however, the
natural carbon cycle will continue to erode causing serious climate change and geographical disruption.
The carbon-oxygen cycle
Water cycle
The water cycle (also know as
the hydrologic cycle) is the
paths water takes through its
various states –
vapor, liquid, soil –
as it moves throughout the
ocean, atmosphere,
groundwater, streams, etc.
There will never be any more freshwater on Earth than there is now. No new
water is being made and water can’t escape from the Earth. The water we use is
recycled over and over again.
The water cycle is the simplest natural cycle on Earth. Solar energy evaporates
water from the ocean, lakes and rivers. Millions of litres of water rise into the
atmosphere as an invisible gas - water vapour. This process is called evaporation.
As the water vapour is pushed over the land by winds and rises over mountains, the
water vapour cools and turns back into tiny water droplets, forming clouds. The
droplets joining together is termed condensation. These droplets fall to earth as rain
(precipitation).
The rain runs into streams and rivers, which eventually flow into lakes or the sea and
the cycle begins all over again.
