Chemistry: Three Cycles

Water Cycle

1. Solar energy causes water in oceans, lakes, ponds or any other body of water to evaporate.
2.The water vapor formed condenses into clouds.
3. The clouds condense in to rain, hail, sleet or snow.
4. The runoff flows though rivers stream or under ground to bodies of water (Ex. ponds, lakes, oceans)
5. The process starts again.



Carbon and Oxygen Cycle

It involves 2 key processes:
1) Photosynthesis which uses sunlight, CO2 and water to produce carbohydrates and oxygen.
2) Respiration where animals and humans use oxygen along with carbohydrates to make energy and CO2 and water.
The output of one is the input of the other and it's clean, quiet, and efficient.
They help each other.


Nitrogen Cycle

1. Lightning and bacteria turn the atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that can be absorbed by plants.
2. The plants incorporate these compounds into organic molecules.
3. Animals that eat these plants receive nitrogen.
4.When the plants and animals die, bacteria change the nitrogen compounds back into atmospheric nitrogen and in the soil.


Sources:
www.usgcrp.gov
www.uwsp.edu
www.windows.ucar.edu
Awake-February 2009