Marine Geochemistry
(1) General
| School: | Of the Environment | ||
| Academic Unit: | Department of Marine Sciences | ||
| Level of studies: | Undergraduate | ||
| Course Code: | 191ΘΔ29Ε | Semester: | F |
| Course Title: | Marine Geochemistry | ||
| Independent Teaching Activities | Weekly Teaching Hours | Credits | |
| Total credits | 5 | ||
| Course Type: | specialised general knowledge | ||
| Prerequisite Courses: | Officially, there are not prerequisite courses. However, the student is required to have basic background in Chemical Oceanography, Descriptive Physical Oceanography, Marine Biology as well as in Marine Geology | ||
| Language of Instruction and Examinations: | Greek | ||
| Is the course offered to Erasmus students: | Yes. In their case the language of instruction and examination is English, and the course is adapted depending on each student. | ||
| Course Website (Url): | https://www.mar.aegean.gr/index.php/about/research/scripts/sitemap.php?lang=en&lesson=1064&pg=3.1.1 | ||
(2) Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course students should be able to:
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Know and understand the basic concepts, principles, theories and data associated with the biogeochemical processes occurring in the ocean.
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Be familiar with the basic sources and sinks of chemicals, their distributions and their variability in the oceanic system
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Based on the acquired knowledge to be able to trace and evaluate possible disturbances of the biogeochemical cycles caused by human activities
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Demonstrate fluency to read, analyse and synthesise marine geochemistry literature
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interact with others in interdisciplinary scientific issues related to the marine environment by combining all aforementioned knowledge
General Competences
Apply theory in practice
Search, analyze and synthesize data and information, using the necessary tools
Independent work
Capacity to work in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams
Respect for the natural environment
Critical and self-critical capacity
Production of free, creative and inductive thinking
(3) Syllabus
The course focuses on the study of the main natural sources of materials into the ocean, their pathways and chemical composition as well as of the processes that interact and shape their distributions and variability in the ocean reservoir. Moreover the geochemistry of sediments and the chemical diagenetic processes are studied. State-of-the-art methodologies and tools used for the study of the biogeochemical processes accompanied by examples of recent measurements and results from the Mediterranean and Black Sea are also presented.
The course covers the following topics:
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The input of material to the ocean reservoir
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Transport of materials from rivers to the sea, the behavior of chemical elements in the estuarine mixing zone, dissolved-particulate phase interactions in estuaries
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Transport of material to the ocean via the atmosphere, the chemistry of the marine aerosol
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Transport of materials to the ocean from the sea-bottom hydrothermal activity-Relative importance of the main transport pathways.
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Total suspended matter in the sea, changes of size and chemical composition of sinking particles – Particle sinking rates.
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Organic matter in the sea, Production and degradation of particulate organic matter, downward particle flux and primary production. Distribution and chemical changes of dissolved organic matter.
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Trace elements in seawater, Geographical (spatial) distributions of trace elements in surface waters, vertical distribution of trace elements in the water column, Trace element speciation, Organic complexation – Trace metal-biota relationships Hydride elements and methylation, Principal mechanisms for the removal of trace elements from sea water.
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Formation and components of marine sediments, sediment interstitial waters, chemical diagenetic processes.
(4) Teaching and Learning Methods - Evaluation
| Delivery: | Face to face | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Use of Information and Communication Technology: |
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(5) Attached Bibliography
- Suggested bibliography:
Lecturer’s Notes on Marine Geochemistry (in Greek)
Libes, S.M., 2009. An Introduction to Marine Biogeochemistry - Second Edition, Academic Press, Elsevier.
Chester R., 2000. Marine Geochemistry. Second Edition. Blackwell Scientific Ltd., Oxford.
Ocean chemistry and deep-sea sediments, 2001. 2nd Edition. The Open University.
Marine Biogeochemical Cycles, 2005. 2nd Edition. The Open University
Sarmiento J.L., Gruber, N., 2006. Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamics, Princeton University Press.
Emerson S.R., Hedges J.I., 2008. Chemical oceanography and the marine carbon cycle, Cambridge University Press
In parallel selected papers of related academic journals are given for study
- Related academic journals:
Progress in Oceanography - https://www.journals.elsevier.com/progress-in-oceanography
Marine Chemistry - https://www.journals.elsevier.com/marine-chemistry
Biogeosciences - https://www.biogeosciences.net/
Journal of Marine Systems - https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-marine-systems
Continental Shelf Research - https://www.journals.elsevier.com/continental-shelf-research
Global Biogeochemical Cycles - http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-9224/