Biogeochemistry Of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter

Interest in marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is very high because it plays an important role in oceanic and global carbon cycling, which in turn impacts weather. Understanding the processes involved in the transformations of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and other major elements in the oceans has been a primary goal of marine biogeochemists and oceanographers over the past decade.This book, in 16 chapters with over 170 figures and tables, reports on the major advances in this area by a distinguished group of international chemical and biological oceanographers. Additionally, it focuses on the role of DOM in elemental cycling - where the greatest informational need currently exists.

• Biological cycling of the major elements through DOM is assessed throughout, with particular emphasis on the role of marine microbes as active agents in the processing of this material
• The ocean science community's advances for inclusion of DOM in both ecosystem and global circulation models are evaluated

Dennis Hansell has conducted research on the biogeochemistry of major elements in the ocean for more than 30 years. His analyses have largely focused on data collected in the conduct of international projects addressing hydrographic and biogeochemical surveys of the global ocean. Questions of particular interest revolve around the role of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the cycling of marine carbon, such as the accumulation of DOM in the surface ocean, its export to great depth with overturning circulation, its fate upon export, and its introduction to the deep ocean via sinking biogenic particles. This work has been done in all the major ocean basins; thus, the research products lend themselves to furthering understanding of the ocean as a global system. Hansell served as co-editor of the first two editions of this book.

Craig Carlson is a Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For the past three decades Carlson’s research interests have been shaped by an interdisciplinary blend of organic biogeochemistry and marine microbial ecology. His research contributions include assessing the dissolved organic matter (DOM) production, removal, and transformation processes in marine systems, providing accurate measurements of DOM inventories, determining the role of DOM export in the biological carbon pump and it’s the fate after export within the dark ocean. The overall goal of these research efforts strives to make quantitative links between microbial community dynamics and DOM biogeochemistry in the open sea. Carlson served as co-editor of the first two editions of this book.