Turnover time refers to the period of time during which certain materials remain within a particular system. For example, the protein that we get from food is broken down by enzymes in our bodies and then resynthesized in a different form. The time during which any one protein molecule survives unchanged in the body is called the turnover time for that molecule. Each component of an environmental system also has a turnover time. On an average, for example, a molecule of water remains in the atmosphere for a period of 11.4 days before it falls to the earth as precipitation.

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Chemicals