Mass-balance chemistry of ecological compartments: water, soil, sediment, biota, and their interconnecting cycles. Substrate of pollution science and biogeochemistry.
environmental-chemistry
Biogeochemical cycle
Mass-conserving budget of an element through atmospheric, oceanic, lithospheric, and biotic reservoirs with characteristic turnover times τ…
Carbon cycle
Reservoirs (atmosphere ≈ 870 GtC, ocean ≈ 38,000 GtC, soil ≈ 1,500 GtC, biosphere ≈ 550 GtC) connected by photosynthesis/respiration,…
Nitrogen cycle
N₂ (atm ≈78%) fixed into NH₄⁺/NO₃⁻ by bacteria or Haber–Bosch; nitrified, assimilated into biomass, denitrified back to N₂/N₂O. Haber–Bosch…
Water pollution chemistry
Contaminant classes: heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As), nutrients (N, P) causing eutrophication, persistent organics (PCBs, PFAS), pathogens,…
Soil chemistry
Cation exchange capacity (CEC) on clay/organic-matter surfaces buffers pH and nutrient availability; redox chemistry (Eh–pH diagrams)…
Ocean acidification
Absorption of anthropogenic CO₂ by seawater: CO₂ + H₂O ⇌ H₂CO₃ ⇌ HCO₃⁻ + H⁺; ocean pH has dropped from ≈8.2 to ≈8.1 since pre-industrial,…
Eutrophication
Nutrient (N, P) over-enrichment of surface waters triggers algal blooms whose decomposition depletes dissolved O₂, producing hypoxic 'dead…
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Halogenated, lipophilic organics (PCBs, DDT, dioxins, PFAS) with long half-lives, global transport via 'grasshopper effect', and…