Biogeochemical Cycles

3. The continuous circulation of water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
4. Process by which plants use sunlight, water, and CO₂ to make glucose and oxygen.
6. Geological process that raises sedimentary rock, exposing phosphorus to weathering.
8. Process by which liquid water changes into water vapor.
11. Movement of water over land that carries phosphorus into rivers and lakes.
12. Uptake of nitrogen by plants to build proteins and nucleic acids.
16. The movement of carbon through living organisms, the atmosphere, oceans, and the Earth.
17. Conversion of organic nitrogen from dead organisms into ammonia.
20. Process in which phosphorus settles and accumulates in bodies of water.
21. Water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
22. The movement of phosphorus through rocks, water, soil, and organisms.
23. Breaking down of rocks that releases phosphorus into soil and water.
24. Process in which bacteria return nitrogen gas back to the atmosphere.
25. Process in which water vapor cools and forms liquid droplets.

1. Release of water vapor from plants into the atmosphere.
2. Excess phosphorus from agriculture entering water systems and causing pollution.
5. Breakdown of dead matter that returns phosphorus to the soil.
7. Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms by bacteria.
9. Movement of water through soil into groundwater.
10. – Process in which cells release energy by breaking down glucose and oxygen.
13. Formation of fossil fuels from dead organisms over millions of years.
14. Burning of fossil fuels that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
15. The movement of nitrogen between the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms.
18. Process in which bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates and nitrites.
19. Breakdown of dead organisms, returning carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to the environment.