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Some [who?] may use the terms biogeochemical cycle and geochemical cycle interchangeably because both cycles deal with Earth's reservoirs.However, a biogeochemical cycle refers to the chemical interactions in surface reservoirs such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere [citation needed] whereas a geochemical cycle refers to the chemical interactions that exist in crustal ...
Organic geochemistry, the study of the role of processes and compounds that are derived from living or once-living organisms. [ 13 ] Photogeochemistry is the study of light-induced chemical reactions that occur or may occur among natural components of the Earth's surface.
Agricultural interest in 18th-century soil chemistry led to better understanding of nutrients and their connection to biochemical processes. This relationship between the cycles of organic life and their chemical products was further expanded upon by Dumas and Boussingault in a 1844 paper that is considered an important milestone in the development of biogeochemistry.
While it is important to note that the process of remineralization is a series of complex biochemical pathways [within microbes], it can often be simplified as a series of one-step processes for ecosystem-level models and calculations. A generic form of these reactions is shown by:
Carbon on Earth naturally occurs in two stable isotopes, with 98.9% in the form of 12 C and 1.1% in 13 C. [1] [8] The ratio between these isotopes varies in biological organisms due to metabolic processes that selectively use one carbon isotope over the other, or "fractionate" carbon through kinetic or thermodynamic effects. [1]
The particulate organic matter in sediments is about 20% of known molecules 80% of material that cannot be analysed. Detritivores consume some of the fallen organic materials. Aerobic bacteria and fungi also consume organic matter in the oxic surface parts of the sediment. Coarse-grained sediments are oxygenated to about half a meter, but fine ...
Geologic processes, such as weathering, erosion, water drainage, and the subduction of the continental plates, all play a role in this recycling of materials. Because geology and chemistry have major roles in the study of this process, the recycling of inorganic matter between living organisms and their environment is called a biogeochemical cycle.
Petroleum geochemistry is a branch of geochemistry (the application of chemical concepts to understand geological systems) which deals specifically with petroleum and its origin, generation, and accumulation, as well as its extraction, refinement, and use.