Chemistry of the Natural Environment
** available as of 01/01/2026
** available as of 01/01/2026
Prerequisites: ENVS 137, MATH 118 and CHEM 160; Restricted to Majors and Minors in the School of Environmental Sustainability.
Environmental Chemistry is the study of how materials move through the environment and interact within different environmental systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. In this course, we will use this approach to better understand the chemical and physical reactions taking place and their equilibrium in the natural environment on Earth. The course will investigate these chemical and physical interactions in the three unique environmental compartments of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and the soil environment, where the lithosphere and biosphere overlap, as we learn more about the materials and reactions that make up the natural environment. Students will utilize problem solving to explore the materials and reactions of the major compartments.
Outcomes: Apply key equations, concepts, and physical laws relevant to environmental chemistry to analyze how materials move through the environment between different environmental compartments (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere); Quantitatively assess materials in air, water, soil, and cells across a range of scales appropriate in environmental science, from the microscopic to the global range; Describe underlying ecosystem functions that establish the chemistry of natural waters, air, and soil.
Environmental Chemistry is the study of how materials move through the environment and interact within different environmental systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. In this course, we will use this approach to better understand the chemical and physical reactions taking place and their equilibrium in the natural environment on Earth. The course will investigate these chemical and physical interactions in the three unique environmental compartments of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and the soil environment, where the lithosphere and biosphere overlap, as we learn more about the materials and reactions that make up the natural environment. Students will utilize problem solving to explore the materials and reactions of the major compartments.
Outcomes: Apply key equations, concepts, and physical laws relevant to environmental chemistry to analyze how materials move through the environment between different environmental compartments (atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere); Quantitatively assess materials in air, water, soil, and cells across a range of scales appropriate in environmental science, from the microscopic to the global range; Describe underlying ecosystem functions that establish the chemistry of natural waters, air, and soil.