Earth Systems & Spheres
Name the four Earth spheres.
What is Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Biosphere
What process changes liquid water to vapor?
What is Evaporation.
Which process removes CO₂ from the atmosphere?
What is photosynthesis
What percentage of Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen gas?
About 78%.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. What law is this?
What is the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Which sphere includes all living things?
What is Biosphere.
Plants release water vapor through which process?
What is transpiration
Which process adds CO₂ when organisms break down glucose?
What is cellular respiration
What is nitrogen fixation?
Bacteria or lightning convert N₂ gas into ammonia (NH₃).
Burning fossil fuels adds which gas to the atmosphere?
What is Carbon dioxide (CO₂).
Is Earth an open or closed system for matter? Explain.
What is a Closed system — matter cycles, but little enters or leaves.
What’s the difference between runoff and infiltration?
What is Runoff is when water flows over land; Infiltration is when water soaks into soil/groundwater.
Name two non-living carbon reservoirs.
What is atmosphere, oceans, fossil fuels, rocks/soil
What do plants do during assimilation?
What is absorb nitrates and use them to build proteins and DNA.
Which cycle is most disrupted by fertilizer runoff?
What is nitrogen cycle
Define “open system” and give one example
What is exchange both matter and energy; example = forest ecosystem.
Explain how the water cycle connects the atmosphere and hydrosphere.
What is Evaporation moves water vapor into the atmosphere; precipitation returns it to oceans/rivers.
How does combustion affect the carbon cycle?
What is burning fossil fuels releases extra CO₂ into the atmosphere.
Which process returns nitrates to the atmosphere as N₂ gas?
What is denitrification
Explain how humans affect both the nitrogen and carbon cycles.
What is Burning fossil fuels adds CO₂; Fertilizer adds excess nitrogen; Deforestation less CO₂ absorption.
Compare open, closed, and isolated systems with examples.
What is Open: exchanges matter & energy (forest); Closed: energy only, not matter (Earth for matter); Isolated = no exchange (thermos).
How does deforestation impact the water cycle?
What is Less transpiration, less rainfall, more runoff and erosion
Explain how photosynthesis and respiration keep carbon balanced.
What is photosynthesis removes CO₂ and stores energy; respiration releases CO₂ and energy
Explain the role of bacteria in at least three nitrogen cycle processes
What is bacteria perform nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.
Why do scientists say matter “cycles” but energy “flows”?
What is Matter is recycled through cycles, but energy enters as sunlight and leaves as heat it doesn’t recycle.