Natural Phenomena
Phosphorus Cycle
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The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical process moving phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, chiefly as orthophosphate. Living things need phosphorus for DNA, RNA and ATP, but unlike carbon and nitrogen it has no meaningful atmospheric phase, so it moves quickly through organisms yet very slowly through soil and ocean sediment, making it one of the slowest biogeochemical cycles overall.
Facts
PeriodicityOne of the slowest biogeochemical cycles: phosphates move quickly through plants and animals but very slowly through soil or ocean sediment 1 ScaleGlobal, spanning the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, with essentially no atmospheric phase 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
Phosphorus pollution reaching the Everglades from upstream farmland is one of the best-documented disruptions of a natural phosphorus cycle anywhere.
Sources
1. Phosphorus Cycle (Wikipedia)
WikipediaQuote
Phosphates move quickly through plants and animals; however, the processes that move them through the soil or ocean are very slow, making the phosphorus cycle overall one of the slowest biogeochemical cycles.
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