CARBON, NITROGEN AND OXYGEN CYCLE

CARBON CYCLE
o The carbon cycle is the process in which carbon
atoms are recycled over and over again on Earth
o Since a continual supply of carbon is essential
for all living organisms, the carbon cycle is the
name given to the different processes that move
carbon from one to another.
o The complete cycle is made up of "sources" that
put carbon back into the environment and
"sinks" that absorb and store carbon.

Carbon Cycle Processes:

Carbon moves from the atmosphere to the plants:

o PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
Carbon
exists
in
the
atmosphere as the compound carbon dioxide. It
first enters the ecological food web (the
connected
network
of
producers
and
consumers) when photosynthetic organisms,
such as plants and certain algae, absorb carbon
dioxide through tiny pores in their leaves. Plants
use the carbon dioxide in the air to convert it to
simple sugars.
Carbon moves from plants to animals:

The carbon that is in plants move to the animals

that eat them. Animals that eat other animas
get the carbon from their food too.

Carbon moves from living things to the atmosphere:

o Each time you exhale, you are releasing carbon
dioxide gas (CO2) into the atmosphere. Animals
and plants get rid of carbon dioxide gas through
a process called respiration.
Carbon moves from plants and animals to the ground:
o Decomposition is the largest source through
which carbon is returned to the atmosphere as
carbon dioxide. When plants and animals die,
their bodies, wood and leaves decay bringing
the carbon into the ground. Some become
buried miles underground and will become fossil
fuels in millions and millions of years.
Carbon moves from fossil fuels to the atmosphere
when fuels are burned
o Carbon from fossil fuels are only released to the
atmosphere when they are burned.
Weathering of rocks
o Many carbon atoms become trapped in
limerock, a type of stone formed on the ocean
floor by the shells of marine plankton. When
limerock is exposed to the natural process of
weathering, it slowly releases the carbon atoms
it contains, and they become an active part of
the carbon cycle once again.

Effects of air pollution on carbon cycle:

One of the most important powers of carbon as carbon
dioxide is the ability to absorb ultraviolet rays and
ability to maintained ambient temperature. Without
carbon dioxide the planet could be a large mass of ice.
On Earth, carbon is distributed in the atmosphere, in
the waters, soil, and fossil fuels.
Excessive forest fires causes the increase of CO 2 in the
atmosphere, deforestation reduces the ability of the

forests to absorb CO 2. Furthermore, one of the most

dangerous consequences of increased CO 2 level
is global warming.

NITROGEN CYCLE
o The nitrogen cycle describes how nitrogen
moves between plants, animals, bacteria, the
atmosphere (the air), and soil in the ground.
o Nitrogen is an important element to all life on
Earth since most part of the air we breathe is
composed of it.

Nitrogen cycle process:

Nitrogen Fixation:
o Nitrogen fixation is the process wherein N2 is
converted to ammonium, or NH4+. This is the
only way that organisms can attain nitrogen
directly from the atmosphere; the few that can
do this are called nitrogen-fixing organisms.
Nitrogen Uptake:
o The ammonium (NH4+) produced by nitrogenfixing bacteria is usually quickly taken up by a
host plant, the bacteria itself, or another soil

organism and incorporated into proteins and

other organic nitrogen compounds, like DNA.
When organisms nearer the top of the food
chain eat, we are taking up nitrogen that has
been fixed initially by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Nitrogen Mineralization:
o After nitrogen is incorporated into organic
matter, it is often converted back into inorganic
nitrogen
by a
process
called
nitrogen
mineralization, otherwise known as decay.
During this process, a significant amount of the
nitrogen contained within the dead organism is
converted to ammonium.
Nitrification:
o Some
of the
ammonium produced by
decomposition is converted to nitrate (NO3-) via
a process called nitrification. The bacteria that
carry out this reaction gain energy from it.
Nitrification requires the presence of oxygen, so
nitrification can happen only in oxygen-rich
environments like circulating or flowing waters
and the surface layers of soils and sediments.
Denitrification:
o Through denitrification, oxidized forms of
nitrogen such as nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite
(NO2-) are converted to dinitrogen (N2) and, to
a lesser extent, nitrous oxide gas (NO2).
Denitrification is an anaerobic process that is
carried out by denitrifying bacteria, which
convert nitrate to dinitrogen.
o Denitrification
is
the
only
nitrogen
transformation that removes nitrogen from
ecosystems (essentially irreversibly), and it
roughly balances the amount of nitrogen fixed
by the nitrogen fixers.
o Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide are gases that
have environmental impacts. Nitric oxide (NO)
contributes to smog, and nitrous oxide (N2O) is
an
important
greenhouse
gas,
thereby
contributing to global climate change.

Effects of air pollution on Nitrogen Cycle:

Nitrogen is the most abundant element in the air, as it
exists by 78%, but it is also a big problem when
combined with oxygen as it can lead to acid
compounds which comprise the acid rain.
Most organisms cannot directly absorb the nitrogen
and only obtain from food chains. If useful bacteria are
killed by the harmful effects of toxic substances, other
living things would remain devoid of that element.
Misuse and overuse of soil cultivation causes the
increase of that element. Natural nitrogen stocks are
also depleted by immoderate use in the manufacturing
of fertilizers.

OXYGEN CYCLE
o The oxygen cycle elaborates how oxygen
circulates in various forms through nature.
o According to Britannica,
Oxygen cycle, circulation of oxygen in
various forms through nature. Free in the air
and dissolved in water, oxygen is second only to
nitrogen in abundance among uncombined
elements in the atmosphere. Plants and animals
use oxygen to respire and return it to the air
and water as carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is then
taken up by algae and terrestrial green plants
and converted into carbohydrates during the
process of photosynthesis, oxygen being a byproduct.

Oxygen cycle process:

The oxygen cycle is interconnected with the carbon cycle.

Photolysis:
o In the atmosphere Oxygen is freed by the
process called photolysis. This is when high
energy sunlight breaks apart oxygen bearing
molecules to produce free oxygen. One of the
most well-known photolysis it the ozone cycle.
O2 oxygen molecule is broken down to atomic
oxygen by the ultra violet radiation of sunlight.
This free oxygen then recombines with existing
O2 molecules to make O3 or ozone.
o This cycle is important because it helps to shield
the Earth from the majority of harmful ultra
violet radiation turning it to harmless heat
before it reaches the Earths surface.
Respiration and Photosynthesis
o In the biosphere the main cycles are respiration
and photosynthesis. Respiration is when animals
and humans breathe consuming oxygen to be
used in metabolic process and exhaling carbon
dioxide. Photosynthesis is the reverse of this

process and is mainly done by plants and

plankton.
Most of the time the process of fixing oxygen in
minerals such as silicate and oxides is automatic all it
takes is a pure form of an element coming in contact
with oxygen such as what happens when iron rusts. A
portion of oxygen is freed by chemical weathering.
When an oxygen bearing mineral is exposed to the
elements a chemical reaction occurs that wears it
down and in the process produces free oxygen.

Effects of air pollution on oxygen cycle:

Oxygen is a kind of vital element without which life
could not exist. It is present in the atmosphere and
dissolved in the water.

The amount of oxygen in the air decreases as a result

of logging or absence of vegetation cover.

An imbalance in the carbon cycle causes an imbalance

in the oxygen cycle as well.