biogeochemistry
BY-oh-jee-oh-KEM-ih-stree
Definition
The study of how chemical elements and substances cycle through living organisms and the physical environment (Earth's crust, oceans, and atmosphere).
Etymology
The word is a combination of 'bio-' (from Greek 'bios', meaning life), 'geo-' (from Greek 'ge', meaning Earth), and 'chemistry' (ultimately from Greek 'khemeia'). It describes the integration of biological, geological, and chemical processes.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe the scientific field that examines how carbon and oxygen move between biological systems and the Earth's geology, highlighting that oxygen levels depend on these complex, long-term cycles.
The Amazon is often called “the lungs of the Earth,” but a mature rainforest's net oxygen contribution is close to zero — nearly all the oxygen made by photosynthesis is consumed again by respiration and decay. Ocean phytoplankton generate roughly half of E
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com