ENVS 2330 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: James Lovelock, Desorption, Gaia Hypothesis
18 Oct 2017
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Document Summary
Stated entropy reduction must be a general characteristic of all forms of life. Laws of entropy: everything will move into disorder; therefore, a reduction of entropy is bringing order which life does. Life consumes a form of energy (food, water) and excretes a low-grade product (poop) Humans tend to decrease entropy by concentrating resources and energy into high density areas. Dispersed nutrients in these cycles are caused by the disorder of entropy are concentrated and harvested by humans. Sedimentary element: meaning it comes from weathered phosphate bearing rocks, it will end up through run off and weathering will end up in any water body. When phosphorus is dumped into systems you get more primary productivity. Critical in atp production and membrane structure ie: phospholipids. In the environment: adsorption/desorption - physical, precipitation/dissolution - physical, mineralization/immobilization - biological. Physical factors tend to be more important as a delivery mechanism of p to waterways.
