Chemical Oceanography (MARE200)

Teaching and Learning

MARE200: Introductory course to Chemical Oceanography (University of Wollongong). The course presents the different chemical constituents found in seawater and the interactions between chemistry, physics and biology in the World Ocean over a wide range of timescales. This multidisciplinary subject is essential for students that are interested in global environmental challenges.

The global oceanic circulation (i.e. the thermohaline circulation) can be studied by looking at the spatial distribution of particular chemical 'tracers' in the Wolrd Ocean. For example, a map of oxygen saturation in the deep ocean (see Figure) indicates that surface water sinks into the deep sea in the North Atlantic and travels across the deep Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean before moving back up to the surface in the North Pacific.