Marine chemists work in a highly specialized field. Few people know
much about it. But as a marine chemist, you want to change that.
You
are a marine chemist. You have been invited to the local Rotary Club's monthly
meeting. The club invites a local expert to talk about their field each month.
Using
the information below, prepare a brief introduction about your career. The
club members will probably have plenty of questions for you, so you can keep
it relatively brief -- around 300 or 400 words.
What
is Marine Chemistry?
Marine chemists apply chemistry to marine
problems. They want to learn more about the ocean's resources, like food (fish,
seaweed) and energy (deposits of oil and minerals).
Marine chemistry
covers a lot of issues. They range from the composition of seawater to the
major nutrient cycles in the oceans.
Marine chemists study the composition
of seawater and sediments. They also look at the interaction of organic and
inorganic compounds in the sea, the exchange of gases across the sea surface,
and other topics.
They also study water pollution from chemicals. These
chemicals come from factories, homes, gardens and shopping malls.
Another
important role of marine chemistry is a process called carbon dating. Every
living thing on Earth contains carbon. Scientists can figure out the approximate
age of an artifact by measuring how much carbon has decayed over time.
Marine
chemists are sometimes called chemical oceanographers or marine geochemists.
They all study the chemistry of something related to the oceans: seawater,
sediments, land margins and rivers.
The fascinating questions marine
chemists address include:
- How much of the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere by our energy
sources is taken up by the oceans? (This moderates the greenhouse effect --
the retention of heat within Earth's atmosphere, instead of the release of
heat into space.)
- To what extent are the oceans sources for other greenhouse gases such
as methane?
- How were the oceans formed, and how have they changed over geological
time?
- How do chemicals such as pesticides and radioactive chemicals enter and
move through the oceans?
- Are consumers exposed to unacceptable risk if they eat seafood?
(From the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Permission granted
by Dr. Judith E. McDowell, WHOI Sea Grant Director)