9/14/2019

Biogeochemical
Cycles

Chapter Overview
 Biogeochemical cycles
 Hydrologic cycles
 Water repositories
 Pathways of water flow
 Water budget
 Mass balance and system boundaries

1
 9/14/2019

Trends

2020

2
 9/14/2019

3
 9/14/2019

Domestic Extraction of the World 1970-2017

Organizational Hierarchy

Click here for More detailed hierarchy from the Milky Way to Quarks of Protons

Communities
Ecosystems
Populations
Biosphere
Species

Subatomic
Organisms
Particles

Atoms Cells
Molecules

4
 9/14/2019

Biotic/Abiotic ecosystems

• The part of the planet earth in which life can

be found is called the biosphere
• The biosphere is divided into smaller units
called ECOSYSTEMS
• An ecosystem consists of a living
community of plants and animals (biotic)
and the physical environment in which they
live (abiotic)

Abiotic Factors
• The abiotic factors are nonliving factors that determine
the type of organisms that can successfully live in a
particular area.
• Abiotic factors of an ecosystem include:
– Sunlight – source of energy / necessary for photosynthesis
– Water -- all living things require some water, but some can live with
lesser amounts
– Temperature -- all living things have a range of temperatures in which
they can survive; beyond those limits they will have difficult time
– Oxygen -- many living things require oxygen; it is necessary for cellular
respiration, a process used to obtain energy from food; others are actually
killed by the presence of oxygen (certain bacteria)
– Soil -- the type of soil, pH, amount of water it holds, available nutrients,
etc. determine what type of organism can successfully live in or on the
soil; for example, cacti live in sand, cattails in soil saturated with water

5
 9/14/2019

Biogeochemical Cycles
 Biogeochemical cycles mainly refers to the movement
of nutrients and other elements between living and
non-living beings.
 nutrients we need for living is –
 Carbon
 Hydrogen
 Nitrogen
 Oxygen
 Phosphorus and
 Sulphur
 The study of Biogeochemical cycles is all about how
these nutrients move between the living and non-living.
 Biogeochemical = Biological Chemical + Geological Process
11

“biogeochemical cycle”?
 BIO = “life”
 GEO = “earth”
 CHEMICAL = “elements – C, O, N, P, S
 a cycling of nutrients (water, carbon, oxygen,
nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur) from the
 abiotic components of the ecosystem (water, air,
soil, rock)
 through the biotic components (plants, man,
animals, fungi, bacteria)

12

6
 9/14/2019

Water Cycle (hydrologic)

13

Effects of Human Activities on Water Cycle

 We alter the water cycle by:
 Withdrawing large amounts of freshwater.
 Clearing vegetation and eroding soils.
 Polluting surface and underground water.
 Contributing to climate change (rising sea
levels, ocean acidification)

14

7
 9/14/2019

15

Effects of Human Activities on Carbon Cycle

 We alter the carbon cycle by :
 adding excess CO2 to the atmosphere
through Burning fossil fuels.
 Clearing vegetation faster than it is
replaced:
Lower photosynthesis more CO2 in
atmosphere

16

8
 9/14/2019

Nitrogen Cycle

17

Human Influenced Nitrogen Cycle

18

9
 9/14/2019

Effects of Human Activities on the Nitrogen Cycle

 We alter the nitrogen cycle by:
 Adding nitrous oxide to the atmosphere from
vehicles and factories which contributes to
acid rain.
 Contaminating ground water from nitrate
ions in inorganic fertilizers.
 Releasing nitrogen into the troposphere
through deforestation (less N assimilated by
trees).

19

Human Influenced Phosphorus Cycle

20

10
 9/14/2019

Effects of Human Activities on the

Phosphorous Cycle

 We remove large amounts of phosphate from

the earth to make fertilizer.
 We reduce phosphorous in tropical soils by
clearing forests.
 We add excess phosphates to aquatic systems
from runoff of animal wastes and fertilizers –
excess phosphorus causes algal blooms

21

Sulfur Cycle

22

11
 9/14/2019

ROCK Cycles

23

Biogeochemical Cycles

24

12
 9/14/2019

Biogeochemical Cycles
 Residence Time:

 tr = residence time
 M = mass in the system
 F = mass flow rate

25

How long are biogeochemical cycles

Biogeochemical Cycle Residence Time
Carbon Cycle 100 to 200 M
Phosphorus 20,000 to 100,000 years
Nitrogen 2 weeks (fish tank)
Rock Cycle 5 M years

26

13
 9/14/2019

Residence time of Water Flow

Time
Atmosphere/ clouds 9 days
Ground 1-2 months
Aquifer 200-300 years
Snow 2-6 months
Glaciers 20-100 years
Oceans Around 3000 years
Ice Shelf Around 900,000 years27

Biogeochemical Cycles

28

14
 9/14/2019

Hydrologic Cycle
 A.k.a. the water cycle

 Describes the movement of water from one

biogeochemical cycle to another

 One example of a biogeochemical cycle

29

Why are Biogeochemical Cycles Important

At the ecosystem level, biogeochemical cycles perform a variety of
functions.
 Biogeochemical cycles enable the transfer of molecules from one
locality to another. This allows the transformation of elements into
utilizable forms. As an example, during nitrogen cycle, atmospheric
nitrogen is transformed into nitrates.
 Biogeochemical cycles enable the transformation of nutrients from
one form to another. This allows the utilization of nutrients in specific
forms by a particular organism. As an example, different species of
nitrogen-fixing bacteria utilize different forms of nitrogen. Hence, nutrients
do not become a limiting factor for growth.
 Biogeochemical cycles facilitate the storage of elements – Different
types of nutrient reservoirs are produced by each of the different steps of
the biogeochemical cycles.
 Biogeochemical cycles assist in the functioning of ecosystems –
The biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem are linked by the flow
of nutrients through biogeochemical cycles. Different types of organisms
30
utilize different levels of nutrients.

15
 9/14/2019

Hydrologic Cycle

31

Pathways of Water Flow

 Evaporation: the process of converting liquid
water from surface water sources to gaseous
water that resides in the atmosphere.
 Transpiration: when water is conveyed from
living plant tissue, especially leaves, to the
atmosphere.
 Evapotranspiration
 Condensation: converts water in the gas
phase to liquid water by cooling the water
molecules.
 Precipitation: Water moves from the
atmosphere to the surface of the planet. 32

16
 9/14/2019

Water Repositories

33

Water Repositories

34

17
 9/14/2019

Water Flow

35

Water Repositories
 Only 0.3% of available fresh water is found in
surface water.
 Groundwater is the largest source of fresh
water actively used by humans.
 30.1% of freshwater on the planet.
 99% of the freshwater available for human use.

36

18
 9/14/2019

Pathways of Water Flow

 Infiltration

37

Watersheds and Runoff

 Key concepts:

 Watershed/basin/catchment
 Groundwater table
 Runoff
 Volumetric flow rate

38

19
 9/14/2019

Watersheds and Runoff

39

40

20
 9/14/2019

Pathways of Water Flow

41

Withdrawals by Supply Source

42

21
 9/14/2019

Withdrawals by Supply Source

43

Key Terms and Components of the

Hydrologic Cycle
 Green Water - rainwater that falls on the fields and
has been absorbed by the plant.
 Blue Water - water from rivers, lakes and
groundwater used by the crop to grow
 Blue Water (engineered) - treated
 Grey Water - all wastewater generated in
households or office buildings
 Virtual Water - volume of freshwater used to
produce the product, measured at the place where
the product was actually produced
 Desalinated water – saltwater treated to remove
salt 44

22
 9/14/2019

Water Budget

 P = precipitation
 R = runoff
 I = infiltration
 E = evaporation
 T = transpiration
 S = storage
 C = consumption
45

Water Budget
 Withdrawal use: the use of water for any
purpose which requires that it be physically
removed from the source.

 Nonwithdrawal use: the use of water for any

purpose which does not require that it be
removed from the original source.

46

23
 9/14/2019

Water Budget

47

Water Budget

48

24
 9/14/2019

Water Budget

49

Key Points
 Water scarcity occurs when there is insufficient
water to meet the water demands for drinking
water, washing, and cooking.
 When consumption is greater than storage in a
system, the level of water withdrawal is not
sustainable.
 Water will become scarcer as the planet’s
population continues to grow.

50

25