Ecologists have a long history of adapting reactive transport concepts into creative characterizations of biological solute processing by freshwater ecosystems (e.g., the nutrient spiraling concept). However, the ecological derivations of these concepts do not typically include dimensional analyses of the metrics commonly used to summarize reactive transport behavior. This lack of dimensional context can cause confusion about whether use of given metric is logically compatible with a given experimental design. We review a dimensional analysis that builds the logical scaffolding underlying mathematical derivation of commonly used metrics of reactive transport. The dimensions of these metrics are defined within one of three reference frames, where the sequential definition of these reference frames adds successive layers of dimensional complexity. The reference frames represent common simplified reactive transport constructs, including: (1) the temporal dynamics of reactive solute chemistry in a mixed reservoir of water; (2) the longitudinal variation in chemistry created by reactions occurring along a flow path; and (3) the effectiveness of a reactive surface area in changing the chemical composition of adjacent flow. Reactive transport metrics are further distinguished by whether they represent the absolute effect on reactant mass or the relative efficiency with which a fraction of the available reactant is transformed. Categories of metrics defined by absolute reaction effect or relative reaction efficiency within each of the three reference frames clarify the appropriate interpretation of reactive transport metrics. Finally, the efficiency of a flow-through system described within each reference frame is defined by a Damköhler index, providing differing dimensional perspectives on a system’s ability to transform a reactant input to the system before it is exported from the system. This dimensional analysis of reactive transport and nutrient spiraling provides the logical scaffolding for transdisciplinary and pedagogical efforts to unambiguously describe the meaning of commonly used reactive transport metrics.