Cycles of the Elements

This carbon map demonstrates how the carbon in the atmosphere goes naturally through our environment, and how we greatly contribute to the amount of carbon by burning fossil fuels. This is very relevant in my area because of the refinery just a few minutes away.

This map illustrates how much we contribute to the nitrogen cycle. We put high amounts of nitrogen through burning fossil fuels, and using fertilizers as well. Animals greatly contribute as well, and when there are large farms with livestock, the soil and water nearby are greatly affected as well. Nitrogen is one of the elements that causes eutrophication, the process of large amounts of algae growing in a water source, and killing the organisms in that water.

Phosphorus is also a large player in our society. Phosphorus is one of the main ingredients in most fertilizers, and these chemicals run off of farms, promoting further eutrophication in the water sources surrounding the farms Phosphorus also comes naturally from rocks containing phosphates. The waste that animals produce also contribute to the amount of Phosphorus because their waste is dissolved into the soil. Here's how it all works.

Sulfur is also a problem in our soil. This is another element that is released in high content levels due to the burning of fossil fuels. The sulfur gets into the rain, and puts high contents into the ground. This only adds to the amount of sulfur in the soil because the element is yet another that is heavily used in chemical fertilizers. This map shows the cycle of sulfur in our environment.

My town greatly adds to the levels of all of these elements. All of these are released in high volume when burning fossil fuels, an the traffic in Richmond is ever-increasing. People continue to move to Richmond, a town that is not in the middle of the big cities, but is close enough to be easily access the big cities. The law of conservation of matter is very important because it states that matter cannot be created or destroyed. This is very important because we continue to put lots of these elements in our environment, especially in the ground. This will continue to be a problem because a few years down the road there will be highly problematic amounts of these elements present, and we will have no way to offset them.