biogeochemistry

[bahy-oh-jee-oh-kem-uh-stree]

noun

1. the science dealing with the relationship between the geochemistry of a given region and its flora and fauna, including the circulation of such elements as carbon and nitrogen between the environment and the cells of living organisms.

biogeochemistry

1. The scientific study of the relationship between the geochemistry of a region and the animal and plant life in that region.

Other Word Forms

• biogeochemical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of biogeochemistry¹

First recorded in 1935–40; bio- + geochemistry

Example Sentences

Thirtysomething Rose Abramoff, who started as a forest ecologist and also studies climate change, biogeochemistry and land management, arrived at the same conclusion as Trenberth, but with a critical difference: She later came back.

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Several factors have contributed to this persistent stink, said Caroline Hung, a doctoral candidate and researcher in the Lyons Biogeochemistry Lab at UC Riverside.

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"We chose three fjords with different oxygen levels in the bottom water and for these fjords it seems that the amount of particles that settle is so high that the impact of oxygen on decomposition is low," says Per Hall, professor emeritus of marine biogeochemistry at the University of Gothenburg and co-author of the study published in JGR Biogeosciences.

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"In drier regions, the mechanisms that lead to flooding tend to be more heterogeneous. For moderate floods, just a few days of heavy rainfall is usually enough. For extreme floods, it needs to rain longer on already moist soils," says lead author Dr Shijie Jiang, who now works at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena.

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The biogeochemistry at the sea floor and the interactions of marine ecosystems with the environment are also one of the core research themes within the Cluster of Excellence 'The Ocean Floor -- Earth's Uncharted Interface'.

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