In order to better understand the complexities of water quality, a review of some of the basics of physics, chemistry, and biology may be necessary.  This section attempts to provide those basics.  It is arbitrarily divided into subsections on Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biology which, among them, should help provide much of the necessary background to interpret the many facets of water quality.  The presentation style is informal and tries not to assume an extensive science background.  Anecdotes and side tangents sometimes appear as we try to make the material more interesting and relevant, sometimes beyond the topic of water quality which is, itself, but an aspect of the broader field of environmental science. 

Of necessity, these basics cannot pretend to be all-inclusive nor even completely correct.  It may happen that there are instances of over-simplification, sometimes inadvertently, sometimes in the interest of making a better story.  Should you encounter any errors, misleading passages, or important omissions in these basics, or anywhere else in this website, do let us know so that we can improve our story.  Everything on this website, like science itself, continues to evolve into a better, more comprehensive, more comprehensible story (mostly focussed on water) of how our world works and why it is the way it is.  

Following is an outline of the topics covered within the subsections (Do not be put off by the subsection titles; they are explained):