The Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen Cycles
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Provided by: LabXchange|Published on: May 7, 2026
Data, Graphs, and MapsScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- These three infographics provide models and other information for the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
- The importance of each cycle, the main processes, and the main reservoirs for each cycle are identified.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: LabXchange
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Classroom Implementation:
- Use this resource as a reference to activate students’ prior knowledge of these cycles when discussing climate impacts related to them.
- Highlight the main processes for each of these cycles to reinforce their importance.
- Use this interactive image as an anchor resource for a unit on biogeochemical cycles or Earth systems, offering a visual overview that students can return to throughout instruction.
Prerequisites:
- Review states of matter and how organisms use the matter in these cycles to complete biological processes.
Climate Change Connections:
- Pair the water cycle infographic with this lesson plan to demonstrate the impacts of climate change on it.
- In the carbon cycle, have students circle all of the human-induced causes of carbon emissions.
- Use this resource to help students identify water vapor, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide as greenhouse gases.
This resource introduces and explains the fundamentals of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles. It includes diagrams, vocabulary, and descriptions for each cycle, along with a brief explanation of why each cycle is important. The resource does not discuss climate, climate change, and other environmental topics in detail, but it is a good resource to help students understand these topics in the future. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
LabXchange
Harvard University’s LabXchange is a free online platform for science education, created with support from the Amgen Foundation. It makes learning science online flexible and fun, with interactives, lab simulations, and more.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
