Subject: Junior Cycle Science

Teacher: Mrs O Sullivan

Week: Lesson 21
Lesson: Cycles on Earth

21.0 Learning Intentions

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• Understand the basic chemistry of water
• Describe the water cycle and its importance to living organisms
• Explain the importance of nutrient recycling in the environment
• Describe the carbon cycle

21.1 Revision Notes

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21.2 The Importance of Water

Water is the “Universal Solvent”

Water is a simple molecule composed of two small, positively charged hydrogen atoms and one large negatively charged
oxygen atom.

When the hydrogens bind to the oxygen, it creates an asymmetrical molecule with positive charge on one side and
negative charge on the other side= POLAR MOLECULE

As a polar molecule, water interacts best with other polar molecules, such as itself. This is because of the phenomenon
where opposite charges attract one another: each side is attracted to molecules of the opposite charge.
Importantly, this bonding makes water molecules stick together in a property called cohesion. The cohesion of water
molecules helps plants take up water at their roots. Cohesion also contributes to water’s high boiling point, which helps
animals regulate body temperature.

Water Supports Cellular Structure

Water also has an important structural role in biology. Visually, water fills cells to help maintain shape and structure.
The water inside many cells creates pressure that opposes external forces, similar to putting air in a balloon. Water allows
everything inside cells to have the right shape at the molecular level. As shape is critical for biochemical processes, this is
also one of water’s most important roles.

Water also contributes to the formation of membranes surrounding cells.

Every cell on Earth is surrounded by a membrane, most of which are formed by two layers of molecules called
phospholipids.
The bilayer surrounds cells and selectively allows substances like salts and nutrients to enter and exit the cell.

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21.3 The Water Cycle

The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools
and condenses into rain or snow in clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation.

The water falling on land collects in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous layers of rock, and most of it flows back
into the oceans, where it will once more evaporate.

• Evaporation-The sun heats up water on the land, in rivers and the sea and converts it into water vapour.
The water vapour rises into the air.

• Condensation- Water in the air cools down and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water, forming
clouds.

• Precipitation- The clouds get heavy and the water falls back to the ground as rain or snow. This water
runs over land and back into the lakes or rivers and the cycle starts again.

• Infiltration- The water that has fallen is absorbed into the ground. Soil and other porous rock can absorb
water which then moves in all directions until it either seeps into nearby streams or forms groundwater
storage.

• Transpiration-Water evaporates off the surface of leaves and other vegetation and into the atmosphere
where it evaporates.

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21.4 The importance of Nutrient Recycling

• Valuable elements such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, phosphorus, and nitrogen are essential to life
and must be recycled in order for organisms to exist.

• Nutrient cycles allows the transformation of matter to different specific forms which means that
different organisms can use it. For example, although nitrogen is available in the atmosphere,
plants can only take up nitrogen in two solid forms, ammonium and nitrate so nitrogen has to be
“fixed” before plants can use it. This is done by bacteria

• Nutrient cycles allows the transfer of elements from one location to another. Some elements are
highly concentrated in an areas that are inaccessible to most living organisms.

• Nutrient cycles facilitate the storage of elements. Elements that are carried through the nutrient
cycles are stored in their natural reservoirs and are then released to organisms in small amounts
that are consumable.

• Nutrient cycles link living organisms with living organisms and living organisms with the non-
living organisms. This is essential because all organisms depend on one another and is vital for the
survival of all living things

21.5 The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is the most important element to life. Without this element, life as we know it would not exist.
The reason is carbon’s ability to form stable bonds with many elements, including itself.
This property allows carbon to form a massive variety of very large and complex
There are nearly 10 million carbon-based compounds in living things.

The millions of organic compounds can be grouped into just four major types: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and
nucleic acids.

When an organism takes up organic (carbon containing) molecules from its environment, it can use them for

Energy: by breaking down carbon molecules, energy is released which can drive various cellular processes
(Respiration)
Production: carbon molecules consumed are restructured to form useful biomolecules for the organism to thrive
and grow

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Stages of the Carbon Cycle

Carbon is circulated between living and non-living components of the ecosystem primarily through the processes
of photosynthesis, respiration and combustion.

1. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms remove CO2 from their environment and use it to build
biological materials.
2. Plants and animals consume carbon and release it through respiration.
3. When plants and animals die they form fossil fuels.
4. Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down dead organic material and release CO2.
5. Combustion of fossil fuels releases CO2 into the atmosphere.
6. CO2 trapped in rock can be returned to the atmosphere via erosion, or volcanic eruptions.

21.6 Homework Task

1. Identify 4 ways in which humans burn fossil fuels?

2. Draw a labelled diagram of the water cycle and outline the main events
3. Give 2 ways in which water vapour is added to the atmosphere.
4. Explain why it is important that nutrients are cycled on earth.
5. Outline two reasons why water is essential to life.

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 20.10 Homework Correction

1) Explain (using your model how night and day happens).

We get day and night because the Earth spins (or rotates) on an imaginary line called its axis and different parts of the planet are
facing towards the Sun or away from it.
It takes 24 hours for the world to turn all the way around, and we call this a day.
2) Explain the phases of the moon using an illustration.

3) Illustrate using a diagram the difference between a Lunar and Solar eclipse

A solar eclipse occurs when

the moon gets between Earth
and the sun, and the moon
casts a shadow over Earth.

A lunar eclipse occurs when

the Moon moves into the
Earth's shadow.

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