Biogeochemical cycle

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Colorful autumn leaves cover the forest floor and a large mossy rock among tall trees with yellow and orange foliage.

Diagram of the carbon cycle showing how carbon moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, land, and ocean. Arrows connect processes like combustion, plant and animal respiration, decomposition, fossil fuel formation, and ocean absorption, with labeled pathways for carbon flow.

Diagram illustrating the nitrogen cycle, showing how nitrogen moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, and soil through natural processes like nitrogen fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification, as well as through human activities such as fertilizer use and industrial emissions. Blue arrows indicate natural activities, and red arrows indicate human activities.

Diagram of the water cycle showing processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, and groundwater flow between land, vegetation, surface water, and the ocean, with labeled arrows and color-coded soil moisture and groundwater zones.

Illustrated diagram of the phosphorus cycle showing phosphate movement from rocks through soil, water, plants, animals, and decomposers, including mining, erosion, runoff, uptake by plants and aquatic organisms, and marine sedimentation.

Diagram illustrating the sulfur cycle, showing how sulfur moves through the biosphere and atmosphere. Arrows trace sulfur emissions from fossil fuel burning and decomposition, deposition from the air, plant uptake, runoff into water, and sediment formation.

Diagram illustrating the oxygen cycle, showing how atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide move between the atmosphere, plants, animals, water, and soil through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, and precipitation. Blue arrows represent the water cycle, while red and black arrows trace oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanges in the environment.

Figure 1: A schematic representation of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon.

Diagram showing energy flow and nutrient cycling in the biosphere, with sunlight powering producers like plants and algae, which feed consumers. Arrows illustrate nutrient movement through detritus, microbes, soil, water, sediments, and the atmosphere, including fossil fuel formation and weathering.

Biogeochemical cycle: Media

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Images

Colorful autumn leaves cover the forest floor and a large mossy rock among tall trees with yellow and orange foliage.

rotting leaves

Elements within biogeochemical cycles flow in various forms from the nonliving (abiotic)...

© Vibe Images/stock.adobe.com

Diagram of the carbon cycle showing how carbon moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, land, and ocean. Arrows connect processes like combustion, plant and animal respiration, decomposition, fossil fuel formation, and ocean absorption, with labeled pathways for carbon flow.

carbon cycle

The generalized carbon cycle.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram illustrating the nitrogen cycle, showing how nitrogen moves between the atmosphere, biosphere, and soil through natural processes like nitrogen fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification, as well as through human activities such as fertilizer use and industrial emissions. Blue arrows indicate natural activities, and red arrows indicate human activities.

nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram of the water cycle showing processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, infiltration, and groundwater flow between land, vegetation, surface water, and the ocean, with labeled arrows and color-coded soil moisture and groundwater zones.

hydrologic cycle

This diagram shows how, in the hydrologic cycle, water is transferred between the...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Illustrated diagram of the phosphorus cycle showing phosphate movement from rocks through soil, water, plants, animals, and decomposers, including mining, erosion, runoff, uptake by plants and aquatic organisms, and marine sedimentation.

phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus, which cycles primarily through the terrestrial and aquatic environments,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram illustrating the sulfur cycle, showing how sulfur moves through the biosphere and atmosphere. Arrows trace sulfur emissions from fossil fuel burning and decomposition, deposition from the air, plant uptake, runoff into water, and sediment formation.

Sulfur cycle in the atmosphere

Diagram of the sulfur cycle, showing how sulfur moves between the atmosphere, the...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram illustrating the oxygen cycle, showing how atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide move between the atmosphere, plants, animals, water, and soil through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, and precipitation. Blue arrows represent the water cycle, while red and black arrows trace oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanges in the environment.

oxygen cycle

The generalized oxygen cycle.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Figure 1: A schematic representation of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon.

Figure 1: A schematic representation of the biogeochemical cycle of carbon.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram showing energy flow and nutrient cycling in the biosphere, with sunlight powering producers like plants and algae, which feed consumers. Arrows illustrate nutrient movement through detritus, microbes, soil, water, sediments, and the atmosphere, including fossil fuel formation and weathering.

energy flow

Figure 3: General paths of energy flow in the biosphere.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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