CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Today, we are introducing the latest, fourth edition of the volume that has been significantly updated using the very recent literature. The content of the book remains basing on graduate/undergraduate university courses which the author has taught for the past forty-five years. Over the past decade numerous new and interesting large-scale oceanographic programmes have been introduced, including the GDMP, standing for the geochemical trace metal program, and climate variability program.

This program is mainly intended to contribute in proper understanding the bio-geochemical cycles of trace elements in the water. The basic studies have already demonstrated the input of both Fe and Pb from the hydrothermal vents and the redox behavior of metals in waters with low content of oxygen. The above mentioned studies are expected to produce lots of valuable information related to the biogeochemistry. The constantly increasing content of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, that is resulting from the burning of various fossil fuels is continuing to affect the atmosphere as well as the oceans. The temperature of the surface waters is also increasing and is consequently causing stratification in the oceans.

This all has already led to numerous areas of low oxygen in coastal ocean waters. Each year many oceanographers are doing their best to duly contribute to the rapidly expanding technical knowledge of the oceans. The author has made an excellent attempt to build and update this intro to Chemical Oceanography with new understanding and modern concepts...