UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
B.Sc. DEGREE COURSE IN MARINE SCIENCE
SEMESTER SYSTEM WITH CREDITS
(Effective from the Academic Year 2003-2004)

SYLLABUS

Semester VI - Paper X - Chemical Oceanography

Duration of Examination: 3 hrs
Maximum Marks: 100
Credits: 4

Unit I

Chemical properties of water and seawater - salinity, temperature, density and distribution of these properties in the ocean.

Unit II

Elemental composition of seawater, ions, gases, and neutral species - constant composition rule - geothermal vents, rivers, sediments in the control of the composition of seawater.

Unit III

Chemical processes in oceans - pH and buffering capacity of seawater - nutrients and biogeochemical cycles - measurement of salinity.

Unit IV

Processes affecting heavy metals in marine sediments - origin and transport of sediments.

Unit V

Basic properties and processes in estuarine chemistry - organic processes in estuaries-conservative and nonconservative behaviour of dissolved constituents during estuarine mixing-process of heavy metals in estuarine sediments.

Books Recommended

Chemical Oceanography, Volumes 1 to 9, Academic Press

Estuarine Chemistry by Burton and Liss, Academic Press

Marine Pollution by Gerlach, SA..

Oceanography, Contemporary readings in Ocean Sciences by Gorden Pirie,

introduction to Oceanography by Weighpt

Marine Geology by Kennet, J.R, Prentice Hall.

The sea floor by Seibold, E. and Berger, W.H., Springer-Verlag.