xi
Preface to the First Edition
This book is the result of a course that I have taught over the last 20 years at the University
of Miami. Shortly after I arrived in Miami in 1966 from a short stint in industry, I was
asked to teach a graduate course in chemical oceanography. At the time I knew little about
the oceans and found it necessary to do a lot of reading. Luckily J. P. Riley and G. Skirrow
(1965) had just edited a two-volume book on chemical oceanography. The book contained
chapters written by a number of authors that described the basic areas of the field. I used
these volumes as a source for my first course and the present book is patterned after these
volumes. My early reading included the classical text The Oceans by Sverdrup, Johnson,
and Fleming and the book Oceanography edited by M. Sears (1961). I used the text Marine
Chemistry by Horne (1969), and the text Introduction to Marine Chemistry by Riley and
Chester (1971) for some time, but they became outdated. The volumes of The Sea: Ideas and
Observations, edited by Hill and others (1963, 1974, 1977) were used as a source of supplemental material. The second edition of Chemical Oceanography by Riley and Skirrow (1975)
and later volumes by Riley and Chester (1976, 1978, 1983) and by Riley (1989) are still used
to keep the course up to date.
In 1980 I started teaching an undergraduate course in chemical oceanography and found
the need for a textbook. The text Chemical Oceanography by Broecker (1971) was used for a
time, but it did not cover the classical areas that were more familiar to me. The more recent
Tracers in the Sea by Broecker and Peng (1982) was better, but the undergraduate students
found it difficult to follow. Although graduate students can probe the volumes of Chemical
Oceanography and current literature references, undergraduate students need a more fundamental approach to the field. The present text is my attempt to put together my views of
the field. It is largely descriptive and is biased by my strong mechanistic feelings as a physical chemist. Since it is meant to be an undergraduate text, I have not given all the original
references. I have mentioned by name many of my colleagues who have contributed to
the field—I apologize for any omissions. Since my background and interests in organic
chemistry are rather meager, I asked May Sohn to join me as co-author. She has been very
helpful in correcting some of my mistakes and wrote the chapter on organic chemistry.
As with most endeavors, I owe thanks to a number of people: my many students, both
graduate and undergraduate who have struggled through my courses; Mrs. Rita Marvez
who has typed and re-typed the many drafts of this book; Mrs. Sara Sotolongo who has
drawn many of the figures; and Kara Kern, who carefully proofed the final copy. The
support of my research from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval
Research should also be acknowledged. These agencies provided me with research funds
to probe the thermodynamics and kinetics of processes occurring in the oceans.
I am sure the book has some flaws, but I hope it will prove useful to those wishing to get
an introduction to the field of chemical oceanography. Some of the books that have shaped
my views of the field are given below.
The Oceans, H. U. Sverdrup, M. W. Johnson, and R. H. Fleming, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey (1942).
The Chemistry and Fertility of Seawater, H. W. Harvey, Cambridge University Press, London (1955).
Oceanography, M. Sears, Ed., Pub 67, A.A.A.S., Washington, D.C. (1961).
The Sea: Ideas and Observations, M. N. Hill, Ed., Vol. 2, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1963).
Preface to the First Edition
This book is the result of a course that I have taught over the last 20 years at the University
of Miami. Shortly after I arrived in Miami in 1966 from a short stint in industry, I was
asked to teach a graduate course in chemical oceanography. At the time I knew little about
the oceans and found it necessary to do a lot of reading. Luckily J. P. Riley and G. Skirrow
(1965) had just edited a two-volume book on chemical oceanography. The book contained
chapters written by a number of authors that described the basic areas of the field. I used
these volumes as a source for my first course and the present book is patterned after these
volumes. My early reading included the classical text The Oceans by Sverdrup, Johnson,
and Fleming and the book Oceanography edited by M. Sears (1961). I used the text Marine
Chemistry by Horne (1969), and the text Introduction to Marine Chemistry by Riley and
Chester (1971) for some time, but they became outdated. The volumes of The Sea: Ideas and
Observations, edited by Hill and others (1963, 1974, 1977) were used as a source of supplemental material. The second edition of Chemical Oceanography by Riley and Skirrow (1975)
and later volumes by Riley and Chester (1976, 1978, 1983) and by Riley (1989) are still used
to keep the course up to date.
In 1980 I started teaching an undergraduate course in chemical oceanography and found
the need for a textbook. The text Chemical Oceanography by Broecker (1971) was used for a
time, but it did not cover the classical areas that were more familiar to me. The more recent
Tracers in the Sea by Broecker and Peng (1982) was better, but the undergraduate students
found it difficult to follow. Although graduate students can probe the volumes of Chemical
Oceanography and current literature references, undergraduate students need a more fundamental approach to the field. The present text is my attempt to put together my views of
the field. It is largely descriptive and is biased by my strong mechanistic feelings as a physical chemist. Since it is meant to be an undergraduate text, I have not given all the original
references. I have mentioned by name many of my colleagues who have contributed to
the field—I apologize for any omissions. Since my background and interests in organic
chemistry are rather meager, I asked May Sohn to join me as co-author. She has been very
helpful in correcting some of my mistakes and wrote the chapter on organic chemistry.
As with most endeavors, I owe thanks to a number of people: my many students, both
graduate and undergraduate who have struggled through my courses; Mrs. Rita Marvez
who has typed and re-typed the many drafts of this book; Mrs. Sara Sotolongo who has
drawn many of the figures; and Kara Kern, who carefully proofed the final copy. The
support of my research from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval
Research should also be acknowledged. These agencies provided me with research funds
to probe the thermodynamics and kinetics of processes occurring in the oceans.
I am sure the book has some flaws, but I hope it will prove useful to those wishing to get
an introduction to the field of chemical oceanography. Some of the books that have shaped
my views of the field are given below.
The Oceans, H. U. Sverdrup, M. W. Johnson, and R. H. Fleming, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey (1942).
The Chemistry and Fertility of Seawater, H. W. Harvey, Cambridge University Press, London (1955).
Oceanography, M. Sears, Ed., Pub 67, A.A.A.S., Washington, D.C. (1961).
The Sea: Ideas and Observations, M. N. Hill, Ed., Vol. 2, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1963).