Chemical Oceanography

Covers the chemical composition of seawater, the major and minor element cycles, dissolved gases, nutrient distribution and limitation, and the carbonate system.

The carbonate material extends beyond the standard open-ocean treatment. In coastal water, respiration, river input, upwelling and photosynthesis move pH on hourly and seasonal timescales that substantially exceed the long-term acidification trend. Organisms sensitive to acidification live inside that variability, and a shellfish larva experiences the hour it is in rather than an annual mean. The course works from high-frequency sensor records collected in the Aldwych estuary and at Prentice.

Laboratory work covers titration, nutrient analysis and sensor calibration.