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1. INTRODUCTION
Basic Concepts
• Reservoirs
- There are usually physical states, chemical
forms and locations in the cycle in which
nature stores the various chemical elements.
-A source or place of residence for elements in a
geochemical cycle
- Elements are bound up in a particular space.
- Elements reside as specific forms
- Usually expressed in terms of the mass in
gigatons (Gt), (billions of metric tons)
• Flux
- Movement of elements into or out of a
reservoir.
-The fluxes or movements between these
reservoirs are often accompanied by a
change in the physical and chemical
properties of matter.
• Transfer mechanisms
- Processes that move elements between
reservoirs
- They usually involve a physical process
and a chemical reaction
• Transfer rate
- Usually expressed in terms of Gt
(gigatons, billions of metric tons) per
year
Due to the
2. GEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
2.1 THE CARBON CYCLE
2) A terrestrial biosphere-geosphere-
hydrosphere loop
Soil
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