Ocean Biogeochemistry

Oceans account for 50% of the anthropogenic CO₂ released into the atmosphere. During the past 15 years an international programme, the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), has been studying the ocean carbon cycle to quantify and model the biological and physical processes whereby CO₂ is pumped from the ocean's surface to the depths of the ocean, where it can remain for hundreds of years. This project is one of the largest multi-disciplinary studies of the oceans ever carried out and this book synthesises the results. It covers all aspects of the topic ranging from air-sea exchange with CO₂, the role of physical mixing, the uptake of CO₂ by marine algae, the fluxes of carbon and nitrogen through the marine food chain to the subsequent export of carbon to the depths of the ocean. Special emphasis is laid on predicting future climatic change.

From the reviews:

"The volume consistently conveys both the importance of the ocean in the global carbon cycle and the uncertainty of the oceanic response to global change. ... The stated objective of The IGBP Series, to present key results of the JGOFS project, is accomplished. ... The design of the book is very attractive, the type clear, and the figure size appropriate. ... this volume provides a valuable state of the art of ocean biogeochemistry for those interested in the carbon cycle or climate change." (Mary-Elena Carr, Ecology, Vol. 85 (7), 2004)