Natural environments on Earth are amenable to a diverse array of chemical reactions that can convert one form of nitrogen into another, often with the participation of additional substances such as minerals, dissolved metals, and organic compounds. These processes collectively define a natural chemical nitrogen cycle, analogous to the familiar biologically driven cycle but even more intricate with respect to the number of pathways by which nitrogen can be transformed and transported across land, air, and water. The fully assembled abiotic nitrogen cycle manifests a landscape rich in opportunities for investigation either with or without parallel attention to biological processes.

中文翻译：

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非生物氮循环

地球上的自然环境容易发生各种各样的化学反应，这些化学反应可以将一种形式的氮转化为另一种形式的氮，通常还需要其他物质的参与，例如矿物质，溶解的金属和有机化合物。这些过程共同定义了自然的化学氮循环，类似于常见的生物驱动循环，但是就氮在陆地，空气和水之间转化和运输的途径数量而言，甚至更为复杂。完全组装的非生物氮循环显示出一个景观，无论是否同时关注生物过程，该景观都具有丰富的研究机会。