Monday December 8 th 2014 Pg 82 RTW

Monday, December 8 th, 2014 Pg. 82 RTW: Break apart the word “biogeochemical”. What definition can you make for biogeochemical cycle? Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem. Agenda: • Read pg. 6 -23 to 6 -28 • Draw the different cycles (on pg. 83) Homework: • Study for quiz on Friday

Tuesday, December 9 th, 2014 Pg. 82 RTW: What element is fundamental to all life? Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem. Agenda: • Carbon Cycle Game Homework: • None

Wednesday, December 10 th, 2014 Pg. 82 RTW: How is carbon released into the atmosphere? Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem. Agenda: • Biogeochemical cycle notes (pg. 85) • STAR pg. Homework: • Study for quiz on Friday

Biogeochemical Cycles • The continuous flow of elements & compounds between organisms & the earth • Nutrients- inorganic substances that organisms require to live • Organic substances break down through decomposition leaving behind inorganic substances eventually brought to surface by upwelling.

Carbon Cycle (CO 2 is a greenhouse gas) • Fundamental element (carbon is in all living things) • Carbon forms the basis for chemical energy and for building tissues. • Carbon dioxide gas dissolves into the ocean (a CO 2 storage tank) • Decomposition of organisms releases it • Calcium carbonate • Much is concentrated in the deep sea • Major contributor to global warming • On your own: List how CO 2 is released into the atmosphere

Nitrogen Cycle • Required by organisms for proteins , chlorophyll, and nucleic acids. • Must be converted to a usable form by bacteria • Ammonia Nitrates Nitrites Nitrogen gas

Phosphorus Cycle • Used in the ATP/ADP cycle (Energy) • Part of DNA • Makes up bones & teeth when combined with calcium carbonate • Fertilizer

Silicon in the Marine Environment • Silicon exists as silicon dioxide aka silica. • Used by diatoms and radiolarians (types of plankton) to build shells and skeletons. • Most sand is silica due to is abundance in rocks and resistance to being broken down completely.

S. T. A. R (Answer on pg. 83) 1. How is carbon released into the atmosphere? 2. Which gas needs to be converted by bacteria before we can use it? 3. How do organisms use nitrogen? 4. Why is phosphorous essential to life? 5. Why is Silicon is important to some marine organisms?

Thursday, December 11 th, 2014 Pg. 82 RTW: Which gas needs to converted before humans can use it? Objective: I will be able to identify toxic substances that accumulate in aquatic systems, such as ammonia, nitrates, etc. Agenda: • Revisit eutrophication (Notes pg. 85/87) Homework: • Study for quiz on tomorrow

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Largest estuary in the United States

• Fishing Industry of: Blue Crab Oysters Striped Bass Clams • No other American estuary has a higher yield

The Bay Is Not Healthy

Nutrient Pollution Causes Algal Blooms and Fish Kills

Nutrients, Algae and Fish Kills • In normal ecosystem low nutrient levels keep algae in check • Adding nutrients causes algal blooms • Algae die and become detritus (decaying matter) • Detritus is decomposed by microbes, microbe populations boom. • Microbes use the oxygen in the water • Low dissolved oxygen in the water kills fish and other organisms • Dead zones appear in the bay where nothing can live Fish kill caused by nutrient build-up, Nanticoke River, Chesapeake Bay, 1992

What causes the excess nutrients? Rivers and tributaries are bringing the nutrients to the Chesapeake Bay: • Sewage Factory farms discharge 650 • Farming million lbs of chicken manure each year

Have people played a role in changing the ecosystem to make it more vulnerable to algal blooms and dead zones?

Friday, December 12 th, 2014 Pg. 82 RTW: What is the downward movement of water through soils called? Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem. Agenda: • Quiz- biogeochemical cycles • Review Quizzes Homework: • None