PDS AP Environmental Science 8th Period 2010-11

First, we talked about smog. Term coined by combining smoke + fog to get smog. Here are the two types we learned: Sulfur-based Smog: “industrial smog” Nitrogen-based Smog: “photochemical smog” Sulfur-based Smog takes on a gray color. When coal is burned compounds within the coal interact with atmospheric oxygen which then causes iron oxide and [...]

This last chapter, we really started to get an idea of how biogeochemical cycles work and can “malfunction.” Here are a few interesting current events on the topic if you want to learn more: Nitrogen Cycle: Whales Help Fertilize Ocean With Floating Dung http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130437080 Phosphorus Cycle: Manure, Fertilizer Part Of Chesapeake’s Problem http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121565792 Carbon Cycle: [...]

The nitrogen cycle, the most nitrogenous cycle in fact, is crucial to the biosphere because nitrogen is essential for such compounds amino acids, protein, DNA, and RNA. Most nitrogen is found in the atmosphere, but this nitrogen is inert, “broken”, because it is triple bonded to itself (N2). And because of atmospheric nitrogen’s inert nature [...]

Today in class we began our discussion on Earth’s atmosphere. Earth’s atmosphere is mainly comprised of nitrogen gas at 78%. N2 is an inert gas (a gas that is non-reactive under normal situations) that does not natural affect humans. Decomposers put nitrogen gas into a useable form through the 3 reactions in the nitrogen cycle: [...]