**Sources = release into the atmosphere **Sink = take in from the atmosphere/store

Carbon Cycle: movement of molecules that contain Carbon (CO2, glucose, CH4) between sources sinks
● Some steps are very quick (fossil fuel combustion) and some are very slow (sedimentation and burial). This
leads to an imbalance in which reservoirs or sinks are storing carbon.
● The atmosphere is a carbon reservoir and the increasing of carbon in the atmosphere leads to global
warming.
● Carbon sink: A carbon reservoir that stores more carbon than it releases (ocean, (algae and sediments),
plants, soil)
● Carbon Source: processes that add carbon to the atmosphere
❖ Fossil fuels combustion (oil, coal, gas)
❖ Animal agriculture (cows burp and fart CH4-methane)
❖ Deforestation- releases CO2 from trees
● Photosynthesis (plants, algae, phytoplankton)- removes CO2 from atm and converts it into glucose- (biological
form of carbon-stored energy in form of sugar) - CO2 sink
● Cellular Respiration: done by plants and animals to release stored energy
❖ Uses O2 to break down glucose and release energy (adds CO2 to atmosphere)
● Ocean and Atmosphere:
❖ Direct exchange: CO2 moves directly between the atmosphere and ocean by dissolving in and out of ocean water
at the surface → happens very quickly and in equal directions (balances out CO2 between the atmosphere and
the ocean).
❖ Algae and phytoplankton (take out CO2 from ocean by photosynthesis)
❖ Coral reef and marine organisms with shells (also take out CO2 to make calcium carbonate
exoskeletons/shells)
● Sedimentation: when marine organisms die, their bodies sink to the bottom of the ocean where they’re broken
down into sediments that contain carbon
● Burial: over long periods of time, pressure of water compresses carbon-containing sediments on ocean floor into
sedimentary stone (limestone, sandstone → sinks) - long-term carbon reservoir
→ fossil fuels are formed through burial- fossilized remains of dead organisms
→ fossil fuels are dug up and burned as energy (extraction and combustion)
★ Formation of fossil fuels takes millions of years, however extraction and combustion takes a short amount of
time, which increase the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere

Nitrogen Cycle: movement of molecules that contain Nitrogen between sources/sinks

● Nitrogen reservoirs hold N for relatively short periods of time compared to the Carbon Cycle
● Atmosphere = main Nitrogen reservoir (as N2 which is not useable by plants and animals)
● Nitrogen is a critical plant and animal nutrient → N for DNA and amino acids to make proteins
● Nitrogen Fixation: the process of N2 gas being converted to useable by plants- NO3^- (nitrate) or NH3
(ammonia)
❖ Bacterial fixation: certain bacteria that live in the soil, or in symbiotic relationship with plant root
nodules convert N2 into ammonia (NH3)
❖ Synthetic fixation: humans combust FFs to convert N2 gas into nitrate (NO3-)
● Assimilation: plants & animals taking nitrogen in and incorporate it into their body
● Ammonification: soil bacteria, microbes & decomposers converte waste & dead biomass back into NH3 and
returning it to soil
● Nitrification: conversion of NH4 into nitrite (NO2-) & then nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria
● Denitrification: conversion of NO3 in soil into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which returns to atmosphere and is then
later on broken into N2 gas.
● Climate: N2O (nitrous oxide) = greenhouse gas which warms earth’s climate
→ Produced by denitrification of nitrate in agricultural soils (when over watered)

Phosphorus Cycle: Movement of phosphorus atoms/molecules b/w sources & sinks/reservoirs

 ● Ammonia volatilization: excess fertilizer use can lead to NH3 gas entering atm
● NH3 gas in atm = acid rain and respiratory irritation in humans & animals
● It also means less nitrogen stays in the soil for crops to use for growth (lost profit)
● Leaching & Eutrophication: synthetic fertilizer use leads to nitrates (NO 3) leaching, aka runoff
● Rocks & sediments containing phosphorus minerals = major reservoirs
● P cycle is very slow compared to C/H2O/N cycles
● Takes long for phosphorus to be weathered out of rocks & carried into soil/bodies of water
● No gas phase of phosphorus (doesn’t enter the atmosphere)
● B/c it cycles so slowly, it is a limiting nutrient, meaning plant growth in ecosystems is often limited by
phosphorus availability in soil or water
● P is needed by all organisms for DNA, ATP (energy), bone & tooth enamel in some animals
● Major natural source of P is weathering of rocks that contain P
● Wind and rain break down rock and phosphate (PO4^-3) is released and dissolved into water; rain water
carries phosphate into nearby soils and bodies of water
● Weathering is so slow that P is often a limiting nutrient
● Synthetic sources of P = mining phosphate minerals & adding it into fertilzer/detergent. Synthetic fertilizers
containing phosphates are added to lawns or agriculture. Runoff carries P into nearby bodies of water.
Phosphates from detergent enter bodies of water through wastewater from homes.
● Just like N, P is absorbed by plant roots and assimilate into tissues
● Animal waste/plant matter/biomass is broken down by bacteria which then returns phosphates back to the soil
● P sediments at the bottom of bodies of water turn into sed. rocks over time from pressure
● Geological uplift: tectonic plate collision forces up rock layers → P cycle can start again with weathering of rocks
containing phosphate.
● Excess N or P from runoff/animal waste contamination/human activity can lead to eutrophication (algae
blooms, which then creates a cycle of death until no more 02 is left

Water Cycle: Movement of H2O (in different states) b/w sources & sinks

● Ocean = largest water reservoir

● Ice caps & groundwater are smaller reservoirs, but contain fresh, useable water for humans
● Transpiration: process plants use to draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves → aka vaporization
● Leaf openings called stomata open, allowing water to evap. into atm. from leaf
● Movement of H2O out of leaf creates low H2O potential in leaf, pulling H2O up from roots
● Evapotranspiration: amount of H2O that enters atm. from transpiration & evap. Combined
● Precipitation either flows over earth’s surface into a body of water (runoff) or trickles through soil
down into groundwater aquifers (infiltration)
● Aquifers & lakes/rivers are important freshwater reservoirs for humans & animals
● Precipitation recharges groundwater through infiltration, but only if ground is permeable (able to
let water pass through - type of ground matters)
● Runoff recharges surface waters, but can also carry pollutants into water sources

Primary Productivity: rate that solar energy is converted into org. compounds via photosynthesis over a
unit of time (aka rate of photosynthesis of all producers in a given period of time) (also: the amount of
plant growth in an area over a given period of time)
● Respiration Loss: plants use up some of the energy they generated for cellular respiration
● Gross Primary Productivity: the total amount of sun energy that plants capture and convert to
energy through photosynthesis
● Net Primary Productivity: The amount of energy leftover after plants use some for respiration
● Generally only 1% of all sunlight is captured and converted into GPP. Of that 1%, only about
40% (or 0.4% of total incoming solar energy) is converted into biomass/plant growth
● Water availability, higher temps, and nutrient availability are all factors that lead to high NPP