AP Environmental Science · Unit 1 The Living World
Learning Objectives
No Gas Phase: The ONLY major biogeochemical cycle without an atmospheric component.
Weathering: Rain chemically and physically breaks down sedimentary rock, releasing Phosphate (PO₄³⁻) into soils.
Limiting Factor: Because weathering is extremely slow, phosphorus is naturally scarce and limits plant growth.
Geologic Uplift: Ocean sediments must be pushed back up into mountains over millions of years to restart the cycle.
Tags
PhosphorusWeatheringSedimentationGeology
The Slow Cycle
Rock Weathering
Rain and wind physical/chemically break down rocks over thousands of years, slowly dissolving inorganic Phosphate (PO₄³⁻) ions into the soil and localized water systems.
Time Scale: Thousands of Years
Agriculture & Detergents
Humans mine phosphate rock for fertilizers and detergents. Runoff creates severe algal blooms in freshwater lakes (Eutrophication), depleting oxygen.