Biogeochemical Cycles Vocabulary

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Across
  1. 3. also called the water cycle, is the continuous movement of water between the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land
  2. 5. the process by which water moves downward through the soil under gravitational forces
  3. 11. biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems
  4. 12. rain,snow, sleet, hail that falls from the clouds to the ground
  5. 13. the process of a liquid turning into a gas and disappearing into the air
  6. 16. a natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases, effectively storing carbon and helping to mitigate climate change
  7. 18. microbial process by which reduced nitrogen compounds (primarily ammonia) are sequentially oxidized to nitrite and nitrate
  8. 19. a chemical process where plants, algae, and certain bacteria use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and sugar (glucose)
Down
  1. 1. the fraction of light that a surface reflects. The albedo of Earth's surface (atmosphere, ocean, land surfaces) determines how much incoming solar energy, or light, is immediately reflected back to space
  2. 2. the process that converts nitrate to nitrogen gas, thus removing bioavailable nitrogen and returning it to the atmosphere
  3. 4. process of water dissolving and removing substances and depositing those substances in other locations, usually in areas of lower elevation due to gravity
  4. 6. areas that store carbon, such as natural areas, the ocean, soil, and fossil fuels.
  5. 7. microscopic living organisms that have only one cell
  6. 8. how carbon moves between the atmosphere, soils, living creatures, the ocean, and human sources.
  7. 9. a process that occurs when nutrients build up in a body of water, causing excessive growth of algae and aquatic plants, leading to oxygen depletion, which can kill aquatic animals
  8. 10. water that is stored underground in the spaces between soil, sand, and rock
  9. 14. gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap heat. They allow sunlight to pass through, but prevent the heat from escaping
  10. 15. the process where water vapor becomes liquid
  11. 17. the process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from its leaves, stems and flowers