Marine Geochemistry

Since 1980 a considerable amount of scientific research dealing with geochemical processes in marine sediments has been carried out. Marine geochemistry is generally integrated into the broad conceptual framework of oceanography which encompasses the study of the oceanic currents, their interactions with the atmosphere, weather and climate; it leads from the substances dissolved in water, to the marine flora and fauna, the processes of plate tectonics, the sediments at the bottom of the oceans, and thus to marine geology. This book conveys the state of the art treatment in this field of research; aims to link and integrate studies of the modern oceans with work using proxies to define how ocean chemistry and the ocean/atmospheric system has changed through time on a number of different timescales. Studies are typically interdisciplinary and involve integration of chemical concepts including the examination of sedimentological and physical properties of the sedimentary solid phase, of pore water and pore water constituents, organic matter as the driving force of most microbiological processes, biotic and abiotic redox reactions, and carbonates and stable isotopes as proxies for paleoclimate reconstruction. It concerns chemical and geochemical processes operating in a broad range of study areas: the oceans, the solid earth, the atmosphere, marine organisms, polar ice sheets, lakes, meteorites, and the solar system. This guide provides valued information for advanced graduate students in the Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, as well as researchers and practitioners working in this field.