Chem major, environmental science Lab workstation in Cowley Hall. Photo by R. Roskos. UW-L home page Chemical expertise is essential to environmental quality.
Chemists identify the molecules, both natural and man-made, that exist in the environment.
Chemists must identify the sources of molecules, their interactions, and their movements in the environment. Sophisticated analytical techniques, modeling programs, and data banks are powerful tools that allow chemists to solve very difficult environmental problems. Biologists and Earth Scientists depend on chemical expertise. For example, geochemical reactions in soils determine if acid rain produced by sulfur from coal-fired power plants will be buffered by molecules in the soil and when metal ions will be released into the ground water. Chemistry is an essential component of environmental science.