Carbon and nitrogen are fundamental to life, being an important component of all living things. The amount of these elements on Earth does not change. Instead, their different forms are cycled between biotic and abiotic factors via natural processes.

Students will investigate both the carbon and nitrogen cycles, looking at how these elements cycle through Earth’s four systems – the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.

No prior knowledge necessary.

In this program students will:

• Consolidate their understand of the carbon and nitrogen cycles
• Apply their knowledge of the carbon cycle to explain their findings on CO₂ levels in air and water samples
• Apply their knowledge of the nitrogen cycle to explain their findings on nitrate levels in water and soil samples
• Discuss natural and anthropogenic sources of carbon and nitrogen
• Understand how human activities can disrupt the carbon and nitrogen cycles
• Discuss the impacts of changing levels of carbon dioxide and nitrates on different ecosystems

Students will:

• Use Pascoe CO₂ sensors to measure CO₂ level in the air in locations around Ecolinc
• Complete a titration to measure the level of CO₂ in various water samples
• Measure the level of nitrates, and thus nitrogen content, of several water samples using colorimetry
• Extract nitrogen from different soil samples and use colorimetry to measure the amount of nitrates present
• Comment on which human activities could account for the data they generate

How are Earth’s systems organised and connected?

Earth systems thinking

• Natural interactions between Earth’s four systems – the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere – that support and are affected by the movement of energy and matter between local and global ecosystems
• Systems thinking as a way of exploring relationships in environmental systems by identifying inputs, outputs, components and processes that may be visible or invisible to the human eye, including representation of a local and regional environmental system