Lesson 4:

The Biogeochemical
Cycle

Chemical Oceanography
 Last class we learned about CO2 in the
oceans

 What is the average pH in the ocean?

 How can increases in CO2 affect:
– Ocean pH?
– Calcium carbonate?
 What substance do marine organisms use to
make exoskeletons?

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 Today we will learn more about organic
ocean chemistry

1. The biogeochemical cycle is the continuous flow

of elements and compounds between organisms
and the earth
2. The ocean plays a role in the biogeochemical cycle
for elements including carbon and nitrogen
3. As part of the carbon cycle, carbon dissolves into
the surface ocean from the atmosphere and is used
for photosynthesis

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 The biogeochemical cycle

Atmosphere The biogeochemical

Biosphere cycle involves the
movement of elements
and compounds among
the land (lithosphere),
organisms, air
Hydrosphere (atmosphere) and the
oceans (hydrosphere).
Lithosphere
Human activities can
affect these cycles

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 How do elements move through the
biogeochemical cycle?

Elements travel
among air, land and sea
through
physical processes
s

s
t

t
en

en
em

em
El

El
Organisms use
elements as
nutrients
and put
nutrients back
into the
5 environment
 What elements are important to marine
life?

 Carbon (C)
 Nitrogen (N)
 Phosphorus (P)
 Silicon (Si)
 Iron (Fe)
A trace element exists at
 Trace metals LESS THAN 100ppm

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 Carbon cycling in the ocean: The
“biological pump”

 Today we will focus on carbon cycling.

 We’ll examine the processes that transfer carbon from
the ocean surface to the deep ocean and throughout the
food chain.

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Phytoplankton
use CO2 Some
CO2 for CO2 is given back off
photosynthesis through respiration

Carbon moves up the

CO
food chain
2 as primary
consumers like
Respiration
zooplankton eat
phytoplankton

Carbon
Decomposition
moves
further up to
secondary and
As phytoplankton
tertiary consumers
die and
decompose,
carbon settles to
the 8
deep ocean
 Student activity

In today’s activity, we will read an example of

modern scientists’ studies of biogeochemical
cycles