The Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater

Intensive research carried out during the 1990's (known as the "Iron Age of Oceanography") provided a wealth of new information and this title, written by acknowledged experts and reviewed by international specialists, provides the authoritative and comprehensive review of the subject area.

A joint venture between SCOR and IUPAC, it expertly addresses the current state of knowledge of the biogeochemistry of iron in seawater and covers:

* Chemical speciation
* Analytical techniques
* Transformation of iron
* It includes evidence for iron limitation of primary production of High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) areas in the ocean
* Structured into a series of chapters it has been reviewed by international specialists- SCOR (Scientific Committee for Ocean Research) and IUPAC (International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry)
* The final chapter summarises the conclusions of the book and discusses the priorities for future research
* Ideal for scientists studying the environmental impact of metals and their role in marine ecosystems; Marine Scientists and Oceanographers; Environmental Analytical ChemistsIm Laufe der 90er Jahre, der sog. "Eisenzeit der Ozeanographie", wurden sehr viele neue Informationen über den Verbleib von Eisen in Meerwasser gewonnen. Anerkannte Experten bieten Ihnen in diesem Band einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand der Forschung. Das letzte Kapitel fasst die Ergebnisse zusammen und zeigt Prioritäten der zukünftigen Arbeit auf. List of Contributors.

Series Preface.

Preface.

Introduction (D.R. Turner, K.A. Hunter and H.J.W. de Baar).

Iron Limitation in the Oceans (A.J. Watson).

Bioavailability and Bioaccumulation of Iron in the Sea (W.G. Sunda).

Atmospheric Iron Inputs to the Oceans (T.D. Jickells and L.J. Spokes).

Distributions, Sources and Sinks of Iron in Seawater (H.J.W. de Baar and J.T.M de Jong).

Analytical Methods for the Determination of Concentrations and Speciation of Iron (K.W. Bruland and E.L. Rue).

Thermodynamics of the Iron System in Seawater (T.D. Waite).

Transformations Among Different Forms of Iron in the Ocean (J.W. Moffett).

Summary and Recommendations (K.A. Hunter, P.W. Boyd, K.W. Bruland, J. Buffle, P. Buat-Menard, H.J.W. de Baar, R.A. Duce, W.J. Sunda, T.D. Jickells, J.W. Moffett, E.L. Rue, L.J. Spokes, B. Sulzberger, D.R. Turner, T.D. Waite, A.J. Watson and M. Whitfield).

Index. "Describes the growing consensus that low iron concentrations in the Antarctic and the equatorial Pacific oceans are the cause of reduced chlorophyll for phytoplankton production...." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 26, No. 2, June 2002)

David R. Turner was born in London, UK in 1979. He obtained his M.Sci. in Chemistry at King's College, London where he became interested in crystal nucleation and organimetallic anion sensors. He stayed on to do a Ph.D. with Jonathan Steed at King's College and at Durham University, on urea-functionalised anion receptors, including tripodal organic host species and molecular tweezers. His work also involved aspects of crystal engineering and solid state phenomena involving transition metal/ureido systems. A link between iron bioavailability and phytoplankton growth in the oceans was first put forward in the 1930s but it was not until the 1980s that developments in clean sampling and analytical techniques had advanced sufficiently to allow accurate measurements of iron at trace levels. The 1990s have been dubbed the 'Iron Age of Oceanography', and there is no doubt that the role played by iron in plankton ecology has been the decade's 'hot topic' in marine biogeochemistry. During that time the field has developed rapidly, and the initial simple hypothesis, that shortage of iron limits primary production in large areas of the ocean, has evolved into a new paradigm which recognises that iron, along with nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, is an essential plant nutrient whose availability is a key determinant of phytoplankton growth and species distribution.

Answering the need for an up-to-date, wide-ranging and critical review, this volume:
* Is the only comprehensive review of the subject area to date;

* Is sponsored by both SCOR and IUPAC - this, together with the leading international status of the editors and chapter authors, gives the book unique authority;

* Contains many references to original research papers, including the key contributions in the field;

* Identifies priorities for future research.
The Biogeochemistry of Iron in Seawater will be an invaluable reference for academics and graduate students in marine sciences as well as marine scientists and oceanographers; environmental analytical chemists; and scientists studying the environmental impact of metals and their role in marine ecosystems.