BOOKS:

The book is available from Cambridge University Press. You can download all the figures from www.cambridge.org/9780521833134

Preface

The field of Chemical Oceanography has evolved over the last several decades from one of discovery to an interdisciplinary science that uses chemical distributions to understand physical, biological, geological and chemical processes in the sea. The study of Chemical Oceanography includes much of the background required to understand the global carbon cycle on all time scales because of the primary role of the marine carbonate system. Thus, we present this book about Chemical Oceanography and the Marine Carbon Cycle as a natural outgrowth of the evolution of our scientific field and a necessary background for building intuition to manage the anthropogenic intrusion into the global carbon cycle.

After a long deliberation about whether we had the time, stamina and personalities to write a book about our subject, John Hedges and I decided to do it, using as a guide, the notes we had complied from teaching Chemical Oceanography together in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. During the first three years of the new century we used sabbatical leaves and time borrowed from teaching and research to compile about half of the book. Then, in 2003 John died suddenly and unexpectedly. Everyone John touched was thrown into a state of shock at the loss of a good friend, reliable colleague and brilliant organic geochemist. At this point we had put so much of ourselves into this undertaking that I felt there was no turning back, and I continued to complete what you see here.

The first part of the book (Chapters 1-7) covers a one-quarter-long course for beginning graduate students. Because of the backgrounds of students in this class, we taught the course so that little previous knowledge of oceanography or chemistry was required. All one needed is some experience in thinking scientifically and the desire to learn. We feel this part of the book should also be appropriate for senior-level undergraduate courses on this subject. The final five chapters of the book are compiled from parts of other, more-advanced seminars and should serve well as a guide for research and more advanced courses in Chemical Oceanography and the Carbon Cycle.

Outline:

PART I. INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Chapter I. A Chemical Perspective (22 p., 6 tables, 15 Figures)

A. Constituents of seawater

B. Ocean circulation

C. Ocean biology

Chapter II. Geochemical Mass Balance (24 p., 5 Tables, 15 Figures)

A. Mass balance between input from land and authigenic mineral formation

B. Reverse weathering

C. Hydrothermal circulation

D. Summary and conclusions

Appendix II-1: A short review of the chemistry of rocks and minerals

Appendix II-2: The meaning of residence time

Chapter III. Thermodynamics Background (31 p., 8 Tables, 15 Figures)

A. Properties of water and ions

B. Ion-ion interactions and activity coefficients

C. Thermodynamics basics

D. Equilibrium constants and chemical activities

E. Redox reaction basics

Appendix III-1: Solubilities of major atmospheric gases

Chapter IV. Carbonate Chemistry (22 p., 8 Tables, 6 Figures)

A. Acids and bases in seawater

B. Carbonate equilibria--Calculating the pH of seawater

C. Kinetics of CO₂ reactions in water

D. Processes that control alkalinity and DIC of seawater

Appendix IV-1: The carbonate system equations in seawater

Appendix IV-2: Evaluating the carbonate system equilibrium constants

Chapter V Stable and Radioactive Isotopes (33 p., 5 Tables, 20 Figures)

A. Stable isotopes

B. Radioactive isotopes and radioactive decay processes

Appendix V-1: Relating K, δ, α and ε terms for stable isotopes

Appendix V-2: Derivation of the Rayleigh fractionation equation

Chapter VI Life Processes in the Ocean (35p., 3 Tables, 23 Figures)

A. A simple model of ocean circulation and biological processes

B. The Euphotic zone

C. Biologically-driven export from the euphotic zone

D. Respiration below the euphotic zone

Chapter VII. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology (33p., 23 Figures)

A. The sedimentary record: 0-800 kyr

B. The ice core records: 0-800 kyr

C. Abrupt (Millenial-scale) Climate Change

PART II: ADVANCED TOPICS IN MARINE GEOCHEMISTRY

Chapter VIII. Marine Organic Geochemistry (27 p., 8 Tables, 21 Figures)

(Kenia Whitehead, co-author)

A. The nature of organic matter

B. Methods of organic matter characterization

C. Major organic compounds and biomarkers

Chapter IX. Molecular Diffusion and Reaction Rates (26 p., 7 Tables, 10 Figures)

A. Molecular diffusion

B. Reaction rates

C. Reaction rate catalysis

Chapter X. Gases and Air-Sea Exchange (26 p., 3 Tables, 14 Figures)

A. Air-sea gas transfer models

C. Measurements of gas exchange in nature

D. Physical mechanisms of gas departure from saturation

F. Surface films and chemical reactions

Chapter XI. The Global Carbon Cycle (27 p., 5 Tables, 10 figures)

A. The global carbon cycle

B. The biological and solubility pumps of the ocean

C. The fate of anthropogenic CO₂ in the ocean

Chapter XII. Sediment Diagenesis (29 p., 4 Tables, 21 Figures)

A. Diagenesis and Preservation of Organic matter

B. Diagenesis and preservation of CaCO₃

C. Diagenesis and preservation of silica

D. Diagenesis and preservation of metals

Appendix XII-1: Approximating the calcite dissolution kinetics