ABSTRACT
The flux of solar energy is the engine that powers the hydrologic cycle, drives the Earth’s climate patterns, and energizes the biogeo chemical cycles. These cycles are crucial to the functioning and maintenance of the ecological processes that are requisite for the sustenance of life. As the name implies, the fluxes of bio geochemical cycles are determined by several factors: climatic variables-particularly tem perature and precipitation, the nature of the element (for example, its solubility or the dif ferent forms it can take), and types and chemi cal compositions of soils, plants, and animals. Nutrients can be lost from and carried into eco systems by wind, precipitation, flowing water, and migrating animals, as well as by various forms of pollution, management practices, and land uses.
