Phosphorus & Water Cycle
Hanna, Maddie, Daniel, Gage, and Kevin
Phosphorus
Phosphorus Cycle
• Found in the bottom of the
ocean.
• It is mined to be used as fertilizer
and detergents.
• Phosphorus also goes into the
rocks and is brought up by
weathering. Then it is dissolved
in soil water, lakes, and rivers.
Phosphorus Cycle continued
• The phosphorus in the fertilizer gets into land food webs, and it
cycles through the food webs and water systems.
• There is leeching and run off to the ocean where it is dissolved
and cycles through the marine food webs.
Organic and Inorganic Reservoirs of Phosphorus
• Phosphate is found in soil, plants and in microbes in a number
of organic and inorganic compounds.
• It is believed that all original phosphates came from weathering
of rocks.
• The chief source of organic phosphorus compounds entering the
soil is the vast quantity of vegetation that undergoes decay.
Phosphorus in Chemical Reactions
• Phosphate groups activate and
deactivate enzymes within cells that
catalyze major chemical reactions.
Impact of human intervention on the Phosphorus
Cycle
• Humans introduce phosphorus through a number of sources:
human wastes, animal wastes, industrial wastes, and human
disturbance of the land and its vegetation.
• When this additional phosphorus enters the system, plants
respond by excessive plant growth.
Water Cycle
Water Cycle
• Found all over the world.
• Life would not be possible
without water.
• Earth has a limited amount of
water so it has to cycle it.
Water Cycle continued
• The water has to be evaporated into the atmosphere.
• In the atmosphere it condenses into clouds.
• From the clouds the water will fall as precipitation such as rain,
snow, hail, and sleet.
• After the water falls back to earth, it will run off mountain and
other land features to collect in lakes, streams, and the oceans.
How we Affect the Water Cycle
• We interfere with the water cycle by taking away huge amounts of
freshwater and depleting other water supplies.
• By clearing vegetation from land to build roads, parking lots, etc., water
cannot seep into the ground to be stored in the aquifer.
• The water remains on the surface and increases the likelihood of flash
floods and surface run-off.
• This can cause soil run-off and damages buildings.
Reservoirs of Water
• Organic: Animals, plants, etc.
• Inorganic: lakes, glaciers, oceans, aquifers, etc.
The End
We hope you enjoyed learning about the
Phosphorus and Water Cycle.