Food for Thought: Primary Productivity and Climate
Phytoplankton play an important if indirect role in regulating the chemistry of the ocean and the atmosphere system. They do this through their contribution to the carbon cycle, taking carbon dioxide with them when they die and sink to the deep ocea...
Its in the Water: Measuring Salinity
Efforts to measure salinity have long been a fundamental part of chemical oceanography. At one time, this was done by simply weighing the salt. Then, for years, salinity was determined based on the concentration of chloride. Today, salinity is measu...
Its in the Water: Ocean and Carbon Dioxide, The
The exchange of gasses, like carbon dioxide, is a critical aspect of the ongoing and dynamic interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. Scientists are very interested in the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide that mankind's activities m...
Its in the Water: Thermohaline Circulation
Thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in temperature and salinity, as opposed to circulation driven by wind. Understanding patterns of water movement may be crucial to better understanding global climate and climate change.
Its in the Water: Salinity, Density, and Temperature
Obtaining accurate salinity measurements is vitally important because salt, along with temperature, has a significant impact on the density of seawater. And this, in turn, greatly affects ocean structure and circulation.
Its in the Water: Seawater, Freshwater and Salt
While both seawater and freshwater contain a wide array of minerals and other constituents, the amount of salt in seawater is generally greater than in any other large body of standing water. There are a number of ways in which salt is added to seaw...
Beneath the Surface: Physical Processes and Marine Chemistry
Marine chemistry is used to understand physical processes, such as ocean circulation, as well as various biological processes.