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| process by which sulfur and nitrogen emissions undergo chemical change in the atmosphere and are deposited in the environment as dry particles and gases, aor as wet acid precipitation, including rain, snow, and fog (2.2) |
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| molecular attraction between two substances or bodies; for example, the attraction between water and the inner surface of a glass tube (2.1) |
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| rapid overgrowth of algae in a body of water, usually resulting from high concentrations of nitrate and/or phosphate; can result in deoxygenation of water when algae die, causing death of aquatic plants and animals (2.2) |
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| production of ammonia or ammonium products via break down of organic matter by decomposers (2.2) |
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| the cyclical route taken by water and other chemical nutrients through all biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere (2.1) |
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| conversion of nitrate or nitrite to nitrogen gas by bacteria in soil (2.2) |
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| combined evaporation and transpiration of plants from a terrestrial area (2.1) |
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| a maeasure of the amount of heat a substance can absorb or release for a given change in temperature (2.1) |
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| weak bond that involves sharing an electron between a slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly negative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, typically in another molecule (2.1) |
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| cycle of evaporation and condensation of water that determines the circulation of water through the atmosphere and bioshpere; also known as the water cycle (2.1) |
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| process whereby free atmospheric nitrogen (nitrogen gas) is converted, usually by bacteria, into compunds such as ammonium and nitrates that can be used by other organisms (2.2) |
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the rate at which organisms produce new biomass (2.3) |
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Term
Rapid Cycling (of nutrients) |
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Definition
| relatively quick movement of nutrients through nutrient reservoirs, such as organisms, soil, air, and water (2.2) |
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Slow Cycling (of nutrients) |
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Definition
| long-term storage of nutrients in nutrient reservoirs, such as fossil fuel deposits; nutrients stored in these reservoirs are unavailable for long periods of time (2.2) |
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| fossilized sedimentary structure formed from ancient bacteria; iron bands in present in some stromalites provide evidence of oxygen formation in Earth's past (2.3) |
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| refers to a molecule with uneven charge distribution (2.1) |
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