Earth's Cycles
The hydrologic cycle continuously collects, purifies, and distributes Earth's water. Part of this cycle includes transpiration, where trees release water vapor back into the atmosphere.
The carbon cycle circulates this crucial element that forms the building blocks of all life. Carbon moves between sources (like burning fossil fuels, respiration, and deforestation) and sinks (the atmosphere, oceans, forests, and limestone).
The nitrogen cycle is essential for plant nutrition but faces a challenge: atmospheric nitrogen must be "fixed" before organisms can use it. This process includes nitrogen fixation (by lightning or bacteria), nitrification, assimilation by plants, and eventually denitrification that returns nitrogen to the atmosphere.
The phosphorus cycle moves more slowly than other cycles, making phosphorus a limited nutrient. With no atmospheric component, phosphorus is stored in rocks and cycles through living organisms and soil. This cycle is critical for plant growth but operates at a much slower pace than other nutrient cycles.
Important connection: Human activities have dramatically accelerated the carbon cycle through fossil fuel use and deforestation, leading to climate change concerns.