therefore releasing tons of carbon into the air. The problem with this is that this can cause a problem known as global warming. This is a major climate problem, which has series results on people and the environment. The result on people can be very deadly. Too much carbon in the air can cause cancer.The nitrogen cycle is extremely important. This is because of the importance of nitrogen itself. Nitrogen is a basic element of life. It also makes up 78 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. It forms an essential part of amino acids (which make up proteins) and DNA. Nitrogen is essential for all living cells. The nitrogen cycle consists of 5 steps. First the basic element nitrogen in converted to ammonia. This process is called nitrogen fixation. This process is done by nitrogen fixing bacteria. Then the ammonia gets converted to nitrate. This process, called nitrification, is done by soil bacteria. Assimilation is the third step. Here the ammonia and the nitrate are absorbed by plants. Ammonification converts the nitrogen into ammonia. This process is done by ammonifying bacteria. The final step is denitrification. Here the nitrate is converted back to nitrogen. Denitrifying bacteria aid in this process. Like all other elements, nitrogen is very important in life but in moderation. We sometimes cause an overload of nitrogen in the environment. When we cause nitrogen overload in our environment, there are many drastic effects. When large amounts of nitrogen collect in a water body there is an accumulation of excess nutrients, which causes an algae bloom. The algae rapidly use up all of the oxygen in the water, making it impossible for fish to live. Burning fossil fuels and wood contributes to a large amount of nitric oxide in the atmosphere. This can eventually form acid rain. The acid can damage trees and kill fish. Unlike carbon and nitrogen, the Phosphorus cycle does not involve the atmosphere, rather it is found in sedimentary rock. ...
