Elements and Earth's Cycles

hydrogen

Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table. It is the simplest possible atom composed of one proton in the nucleus which is orbited by a single electron. Hydrogen is the lightest of the elements and is the most abundant element in the universe. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/hydrogen.php)

nitrogen cycle

The picture shows the flow of the nitrogen cycle. The most important part of the cycle is bacteria. Bacteria help the nitrogen change between states so it can be used. When nitrogen is absorbed by the soil, different bacteria help it to change states so it can be absorbed by plants. Animals then get their nitrogen from the plants. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/nitrogen_cycle.php)

bacteria

Bacteria are tiny little organisms that are everywhere around us. We can't see them without a microscope because they are so small, but they are in the air, on our skin, in our bodies, in the ground, and all throughout nature. Bacteria are unicellular (single-celled) microorganisms. Their cell structure is unique in that they don't have a nucleus and most bacteria have cell walls similar to plant cells. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/bacteria.php)

carbon

Carbon is one of the most important elements to life on planet Earth. It forms more compounds than any other element and forms the basis to all plant and animal life. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and the second most abundant element in the human body. Carbon is constantly cycled through the Earth's oceans, plant life, animal life, and atmosphere. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/carbon.php)

nitrogen

Nitrogen can be found in all living organisms and plays an important role in the life of plants and animals on Earth through the nitrogen cycle. Under standard conditions nitrogen is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas. It plays an important role in proteins and nucleic acids. Although we often refer to the air we breathe as "oxygen", the most common element in our air is nitrogen. The Earth's atmosphere is 78% nitrogen gas or N2. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/nitrogen.php)

oxygen

Oxygen is an important element that is needed by most life forms on Earth to survive. It is the third most abundant element in the universe and the most abundant element in the human body. Oxygen has 8 electrons and 8 protons. It is located at the top of column 16 in the periodic table. Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/chemistry/oxygen.php)

oxygen cycle

Oxygen is constantly being used and created by different processes on planet Earth. All of these processes together make up the oxygen cycle. The oxygen cycle is interconnected with the carbon cycle. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/oxygen_cycle.php)

carbon cycle

Some carbon atoms are constantly moving around. This is because carbon atoms are used by all sorts of processes on our planet. Some of these processes put carbon into the atmosphere (air) and some take it out. The carbon cycle is often very tied in with the oxygen cycle. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/carbon_cycle.php)

earth's atmosphere

The earth is surrounded by a layer of gases called the atmosphere that protects the Earth like a big blanket of insulation that absorbs the heat from the sun and keeps the heat inside the atmosphere helping the Earth to stay warm. The atmosphere is very important to life on Earth and does many things to help protect life and help life to survive. The atmosphere is the air that plants and animals breathe to survive. The atmosphere is made up of mostly nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). Hydrogen makes up 5.5% of the Earth's atmosphere and carbon dioxide makes up 3.5%. On the Earth itself, oxygen is needed by animal organisms to breathe and carbon dioxide is used by plant organisms during photosynthesis. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/atmosphere.php)

water cycle

The water cycle is a way that water moves all around the Earth. It never stops and doesn't really have a beginning or an end. It's like a big circle. We'll describe it by starting with water that's on land ... for example, water in the ocean or a lake. Some water on the surface of the ocean will evaporate due to heat from the sun. When it evaporates it turns into vapor water and goes up into the atmosphere. This vapor water gets together with a lot of other vapor water and turns into clouds. Clouds move about the earth with the weather and once they are so full of water they drop the water to Earth in some form of precipitation. It could be rain, snow, sleet, or hail. When the water hits the earth it may fall right back into the ocean or feed a flower or be snow on the top of a mountain. Eventually this water will evaporate and start the whole cycle again. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/the_water_cycle.php)

water

Water is one of the most important substances on planet Earth. All forms of life need water to live. Water is constantly moving about the Earth through the water cycle. Like all "stuff" (matter), water is made up of molecules. Maybe you have heard water called H2O? This is actually the chemical formula for the molecule that makes up water. The H stands for hydrogen atoms and the O for oxygen atoms. Each water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. (Also reference http://www.ducksters.com/science/water.php)