Physics- notes
Chapter-16: Cycles on Earth
Processes in the carbon cycle
Photosynthesis:
-When sunlight shines on a leaf, the stomata open and carbon dioxide enters them.
-In the chloroplasts of the leaf cells, some of the energy in sunlight is used to
produce an endothermic chemical reaction called photosynthesis.
-In this reaction, water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air produce glucose
and oxygen.
-The stomata of the leaf release oxygen and the glucose is converted to starch,
which is stored in the leaf.
Respiration:
-In photosynthesis, energy is trapped in chemical compounds for use in living
organisms.
-In respiration, this energy is released slowly and in a collected way through a series
of chemical reactions taking place in the mitochondria of cells.
-Glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
-The energy is used for all life processes and involves assembling molecules to
make bodily structures, such as bones and muscles. It can also be converted to
kinetic energy to allow organisms to move.
Feeding:
-Plants use carbon they take during photosynthesis to make carbohydrates, fats and
proteins, which they use to keep themselves alive.
-These substances also form the food for animals, which means that carbon then
passes along food chains.
-The animals in a food chain can be described as primary consumers if they eat
plants, secondary consumers if they eat primary consumers, and tertiary consumers
if they eat secondary consumers.
-Plants → primary consumers → secondary consumers → tertiary consumers
Decomposition:
-When plants and animals die, their bodies become food for decomposers.
-Carbon in plant and animal bodies passes into the bodies of microorganisms such
as bacteria and fungi,invertebrates such as earthworms and insect larvae like the
maggot larvae of flies.
-As the decomposers feed, they release energy from their food in respiration and
produce carbon dioxide which passes into the air.
-For decomposition to take place, the decomposers need to have oxygen around
them that they can use in respiration. If this is lacking, the decomposers cannot feed
and break down the dead bodies.
Combustion:
-When a fuel such as wood is set on fire, the carbon it contains combines with
oxygen in the air to produce carbon dioxide and water.
-Fuel + oxygen → Carbon dioxide + water
Carbon dioxide:
-Carbon dioxide is classified as a ‘greenhouse gas’ because, in the atmosphere, it
acts like the glass in a greenhouse.
-Greenhouse gases allow heat energy from the Sun to travel through them and
reach the surface of Earth.
-They prevent much of the heat energy radiating from the Earth’s surface from
passing back out into space, so the heat is retained.
-The heat energy remains in the atmosphere and warms it up.
-The natural warmth of the Earth has allowed millions of different life forms to
develop, and it keeps the planet habitable.
Climate Change:
-Climate is the average weather experienced at a particular place or area over a long
period of time.
-Different parts of the world have different climates. These are called climate zones.
-Different climates depend upon certain features of the atmosphere which include
temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind and atmospheric pressure.
-As more coal was burnt after the Industrial Revolution, it added more carbon dioxide
to the atmosphere.
-Oil, which was used for power, as this was burnt even more, more carbon dioxide
entered the atmosphere.
The effects of climate change:
-Climate change describes the differences in measurements of temperature,
precipitation, humidity, wind and atmospheric pressure over a long period of time.
-These changes are making the Earth warmer; the term global warming is used to
describe this process.
Sea level change:
-As global temperatures rise, ice at the poles, in glaciers and on mountains melts
and water flows into rivers, seas and oceans.
-This causes sea levels to rise and low-lying islands just above sea level can be
totally flooded.
-As water creeps further up the shore of coastlines at high tide, it floods the land,
forcing people who live in coastal areas to move further inland.
Extra water in the atmosphere:
-Rising temperatures can cause the rate of evaporation to increase. The air holds
more water and this disrupts the flow of air around the planet.
-In some places, changes in weather patterns produce periods of very heavy rain,
which cause rivers to fill quickly and cause flash floods that can destroy the
surrounding land.
-In other places, changes in weather patterns produce longer periods of drought,
which can destroy habitats and farmers’ crops and livestock.
Extreme weather events:
-A hurricane/tropical storm/cyclone is an example of an extreme weather event.
-Hurricanes form over the water of warm seas.
-As global temperatures rise, more water evaporates to form the hurricane, so they
are carrying more water than before.
-When hurricanes hit land, they lose energy and release this water causing floods.
-Other examples include tornadoes and heavy snowstorms.
