Reservoirs
The largest reservoir for the water cycle
These two processes "drive" the carbon cycle
Photosynthesis & Respiration
The only cycle without a gaseous phase
Phosphorus
Hydrangeas change color (pink or blue) in response to a soil's ____.
pH
When too many animals eat too much plant cover, impeding regrowth
Think: Farmer Tuttle's sheep
Overgrazing
The atmosphere is almost 80% of this gas, therefore its largest reservoir
Nitrogen
The phrase used to describe the process by which whales' waste fertilizes phytoplankton, causing an increase in phytoplankton which then utilizes CO2 to photosynthesize
The Whale Pump
The greatest input of nitrogen into the Gulf of Mexico that causes hypoxia
Fertilizer
The soil texture of greatest porosity and permeability
Sand
Forestry practices, like clearcutting, can lead to this major soil issue
Erosion
The largest reservoir for the phosphorus cycle, which is part of the reason it's so difficult to obtain
Rock
This sink for carbon, when burned, releases mass amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere causing climate change
Fossil Fuels
Nitrogen gas (N2) is held together by a triple bond that can only be broken by this specific kind of bacteria
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
Color of soil reveals much about its composition and fertility. Soil that is _____ is usually rich in humus (and therefore, nutrients).
Dark
Growing a monoculture (wheat) and overgrazing cattle contributed to this historic US event where millions of tons of topsoil blew away
The Dust Bowl of the 1930s
The second largest reservoir for the carbon cycle holds up to this much (answer in %)
The ocean is a sink for up to 25-30% excess carbon
This type of sedimentary rock makes up the largest reservoir of carbon
This is a fancy term for animal waste rich in phosphorus
Guano
This soil horizon is critical for agriculture since it contains mineral particles weathered from parent material mixed with organic matter and humus
Topsoil (A horizon)
This is defined as a loss of 10% of soil productivity due to erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, overgrazing, drought, salinization, climate change and depletion of water sources
Desertification
The largest reservoir for the carbon cycle
Sedimentary Rock
This is the percentage of CO2 in our atmosphere. Keep in mind this is 40% more than there was 100 years ago
Less than 1% (.036%)
Many household detergents contain these phosphorus compounds which released in wastewater can cause eutrophication
Phosphates
These 3 macronutrients are critical for plant health, most fertilizer bags display their percentages as a ratio above or below the product's name
NPK
These salts build up in soil that is irrigated
Chlorine and Fluorine