Marine Geochemistry

Since 1980 a considerable amount of scientific research dealing with geochemical processes in marine sediments has been carried out. This textbook summarizes the state of the art in this field of research. The topics comprise the sedimentological examination of the solid phase, physical properties of the sedimentary solid phase, pore water and pore water constituents, organic matter as the driving force of most microbiological processes, biotic and abiotic redox reactions, carbonates and stable isotopes as proxies for paleoclimate reconstruction, metal enrichments in ferromanganese nodules and crusts as well as in hot vents and cold seeps on the seafloor. The current model conceptions lead to the development of different types of computer models. This allows one to balance the global mass exchanges between oceans and sediments. The Solid Phase of Marine Sediments.- Geophysical Perspectives in Marine Sediments.- Physical Properties of Marine Sediments.- Sedimentary Magnetism.- Quantification of Early Diagenesis: Dissolved Constituents in Marine Pore Water.- Organic Matter: The Driving Force for Early Diagenesis.- Bacteria and Marine Biogeochemistry.- Early Diagenesis at the Benthic Boundary Layer: Oxygen and Nitrate in Marine Sediments.- The Reactivity of Iron.- Sulfate Reduction in Marine Sediments.- Marine Carbonates: Their Formation and Destruction.- Influences of Geochemical Processes on Stable Isotope Distribution in Marine Sediments.- Manganese: Predominant Role of Nodules and Crusts.- Back to the Ocean Cycles: Benthic Fluxes and Their Distribution Patterns.- Input from the Deep: Hot Vents and Cold Seeps.- Conceptual Models and Computer Models.- Index.