EESA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Closed System, Anthropocene, Chemical Transport Reaction
Document Summary
Matter: all of the material in the universe that has mass and occupies space, whether solid, liquid or gas. The law of conservation of matter: matter may be transformed from one type of substance into other, but it cannot be created or destroyed: fixed amount of matter in the world. This law is foundational for understanding environmental processes and human impacts on the environment. Including pollution, chemical transport in the environment, unintended environmental consequences of production, etc. Atoms: the smallest components that maintain an element"s chemical properties: is comprised of a nucleus with protons (positively charged particles) and neutrons (no electric charge) and electrons (negative charges) Element: a fundamental type of matter with a given set of properties due to the atoms that comprise the element. Mankind"s most environmental impacts has been to change elemental composition of earth"s spheres (in the last ~200 years)
