Chemical and Geological Oceanography

3 Credits

This course will investigate the pathways that chemical species follow on their transit through the world’s oceans, and related geologic processes. Fundamental principles will be combined with quantitative approaches to construct mass balance models across boundaries including the atmosphere, rivers, groundwater, and hydrothermal systems. Chemistry topics, including seawater composition, isotope tracers, ocean circulation, carbonate chemistry and biogeochemical cycling, will be linked with geology topics, including sedimentation and the formation of basaltic crust of the seafloor via igneous petrogenesis and volcanism.