Roy Chester

Marine Geochemistry offers a fully comprehensive and integrated treatment of the chemistry of the oceans, their sediments and biota. The first edition of the book received strong critical acclaim and was described as ‘a standard text for years to come.’ This third edition of Marine Geochemistry has been written at a time when the role of the oceans in the Earth System is becoming increasingly apparent. Following the successful format adopted previously, this new edition treats the oceans as a unified entity, and addresses the question ‘how do the oceans work as a chemical system?’ To address this question, the text has been updated to cover recent advances in our understanding of topics such as the carbon chemistry of the oceans, nutrient cycling and its effect on marine chemistry, the acidification of sea water, and the role of the oceans in climate change. In addition, the importance of shelf seas in oceanic cycles has been re-evaluated in the light of new research. Marine Geochemistry offers both undergraduate and graduate students and research workers an integrated approach to one of the most important reservoirs in the Earth System. Additional resources for this book can be found at: www.wiley.com/go/chester/marinegeochemistry.

The past two or three decades have seen many important advances in our knowledge of the chemistry, physics, geology and biology of the oceans. It has also become apparent that in order to understand the manner in which the oceans work as a 'chemical system', it is necessary to use a framework which takes account of these interdisciplinary advances. Marine geochemistry has been written in response to the need for a single state-of-the-art text that addresses the subject of treating the sea water, sediment and rock reservoirs as a unified system. In taking this approach, a process-orientated framework has been adopted in which the emphasis is placed on identifying key processes operating within the 'unified ocean'. In doing this, particular attention has been paid to making the text accessible to students from all disciplines in such a way that future advances can readily be understood. I would like to express my thanks to those people who have helped with the writing of this volume. In particular, I wish to put on record my sincere appreciation of extremely helpful suggestions made by Professor John Edmond, FRS. In addition, I thank Dr S. Rowlatt for his comments on the sections covering the geochemistry of oceanic sediments, and Dr G. Wolff for his invaluable advice on the organic geochemistry of biota, water and sediments. It is a great pleasure to acknowledge the help of Dr K. J. T.

The first edition of Marine Geochemistry received strong critical acclaim, and the reviews included the comments that it 'provides a benchmark in the field' and 'is clearly recognizable as a standard text for years to come'. Marine Geochemistry offers a fully comprehensive and integrated treatment of the chemistry of the oceans, their sediments and biota. It addresses the fundamental question 'How do the oceans work as a chemical system' by capitalizing on the significant advances in understanding oceanic processes made over the past three decades. These advances have been facilitated by improved sampling and analytical techniques, a better understanding of theoretical concepts and the instigation of large-sized international oceanographic programs. Designed for use as a text, the book treats the oceans as a 'unified system' in which material stored in the sea water, the sediment and the rock reservoirs interacts to control the composition of sea water itself. Part I covers the transport of material to the oceans via rivers, the atmosphere and hydrothermal systems, and discusses their relative flux magnitudes. Part II considers the oceans as a reservoir, introducing water-column parameters before discussing water-column fluxes and the benthic boundary layer. Part III is devoted to the sediment reservoir. The topics covered include diagenesis, the major components of the sediments, and the processes controlling the geochemistry of oceanic deposit, which are discussed in terms of sediment-forming signals. Part IV offers an overview and synthesis of the integrated marine geochemical system. Since the publication of the first edition, there have been further significant advances in several areas of the subject. The revised text of this edition accommodates these advances, while still retaining the emphasis on identifying key processes operating within a 'unified ocean.' Special attention has been paid to fundamental conceptual changes, such as those related to trace metal speciation in sea water, hydrothermal activity, carbon dioxide and the importance of the oceans in world climate change, the transport of particulate material to the interior of the ocean, primary production and iron limitation, colloids, and the preservation/destruction of organic matter in marine sediments. Intermediate and advanced students with interests in chemical oceanography, marine geochemistry, marine biology and environmental chemistry will welcome this revised comprehensive text. Other students in the broader field of earth sciences will find it to be an essential reference source dealing with the interaction between the atmosphere, the ocean and the solid earth. Incorporates all significant recent advances in the field. 'Unified system' approach to ocean chemistry. Emphasises geological contexts, e.g. sediment diagenesis.