The Carbon Cycle
The Slow Carbon Cycle naturally takes place over _______ of years
millions
Nitrogen gas can be separated in the atmosphere by this powerful type of weather
Lightning
The stage of the water cycle where water is converted into water vapor
Evaporation
This material travels all the way from Africa to fertilize the forest floor of the Amazon
Sand
Organism's that exist as a food source but do not eat other organisms are called this
The term used to describe anything that stores more carbon than it releases
Carbon Sink
The term used for the process that bacteria undergo to convert nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonium NH4
Biological Fixation
The percentage of annual rainfall and snow that comes from evaporated ocean water
86%
This is the term used to describe the water vapor that collects above the Amazon rainforest
Atmospheric River
The biological terms used to describe the living and non-living components of the biosphere
Biotic and abiotic
These are the two main drivers of The Carbon Cycle. They are said to be in "continuous game of catch"
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
Nitrogen is the building block for these three major components in organisms
DNA, RNA, and proteins
Precipitation occurs in these four forms
Rain, sleet, snow and hail
This organism is responsible for providing humans with approximately 1 in every 2 breaths on Earth
Diatoms
The Biosphere is made up of these three spheres
Hydrosphere, Lithosphere (geosphere), and Atmosphere
These are the three main carbon sources on Earth
Volcanoes, fossil fuels and animals
Animals can only obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other animals that consumed plants. This is the term to describe this part of the nitrogen cycle
Often referred to as "plant sweat". This is the official term for water that evaporates off the surface of leaves into the atmosphere
Transpiration
The Andes play this vital role in the oxygen cycle for humans
Providing food for diatoms (through sediment run off)
Individual organisms, populations, and communities make up this
An ecosystem
Plants, algae and bacteria that convert CO2 into glucose go by this biological term
Autotrophs
A massive bloom of algae resulting in a thick, green layer to form on the surface of water is called this
Eutrophication
Water that does not soak into the Earth as a result of landing on an impermeable surface and instead travels directly back into rivers and oceans is referred to by this term
Surface Runoff
The Amazon Rainforest is this many times larger than this US State (need the state and how much bigger it is)
Texas - 10x larger
This Inuit-Canadian leader's speech at the 2004 U.S. Senate is still the foundation for how we measure environmental changes today
Sheila-Watt Cloutier