Chemical processes in marine environments

The marine analytical chemist must be aware that the constituents dissolved and suspended of sea water have a three dimensional distribution pattern. In contrast to distribution patterns in a mineral resource or in a batch of ore, distribution patterns in the marine environment are influenced by chemical, biological and physical processes, resulting in pronounced variability of individual patterns. Very often, only the general features of such a distribution pattern are known before seawater analysis is carried out. The optimal approach, therefore, presupposes an understanding of the marine environment and of the wide variety of chemical processes influencing the distribution of the compounds under examination. This means the marine analytical chemist is forced to have a reasonable knowledge of chemical oceanography. A correct understanding of processes in the marine environment can only be achieved by unraveling the extreme physical and chemical complexity of the different compartments involved: atmosphere, water, sediments and their interconnections. It is recognized that the determination of global parameters, such as total concentrations or average constants, is only a first step in the correct and rigorous representation of environmental properties. Environmental processes are affected by many factors that are still poorly evaluated or not evaluated at all. New approaches and methodologies are needed, such as the combination of analytical techniques (hyphenated techniques) or the use of mathematical procedures to extract detailed information and to build up useful predictive models, and finally a critical body of compilation data. by following the suggestions of the IUPAC commission on environmental analytical chemistry (1989), concerning the "principal activities" in which the evaluation of concepts and methodologies are of primary importance, the second meeting of the "international school on marine chemistry" (Ustica, Palermo 7-14 September 1998), was planned with the aim of presenting the most recent developments in the chemistry of the sea, with particular emphasis on chemical processes and analytical methodologies. Some aspects of the main topics presented during the School are briefly outlined, below.