•

0
x
0 •• warm surface waters from the cold underlying waters invading from
I •
• polar regions. The nutrient elements P, N, and Si show the deep water
1 — •x 1 — X•x
ox sX • enrichment mentioned above. Dissolved oxygen gas, by contrast, shows
X X•
•
2— 2- et
a depletion. Unlike P and N, which are released by respiration, 0, is
consumed. Its pattern is complicated by the fact that cold waters carry
3 —0( 3— ex
with them more dissolved gas than warm waters descending from the
ex surface do. At the southern station, a local excess of evaporation over
4 —* — 4— .x precipitation gives the surface water a pronounced higher salt content
ex than that found in the underlying cold water. In the northern station,
5 x
I I 5 I
0
10 20 35.5
the salinity minimum at about 500 meters depth represents the lateral
30 34.0 34.5 35.0
Temperature, °C Salinity, per mil
invasion of Antarctic intermediate water. Keep in mind that these
(a) (b) salinity differences are quite small (±.6 per mil* is equivalent to ±2
percent in salt content) compared to the more tha n tenfold differences
I 0t II I in the concentrations of the three nutrient elements.
0 xes, I
x)41.), • • •
x x x  •• % • x x x x• • .•
1— 1- x
* % . •
Depth, kilometers

x • x •
2— — 2— ex Element Classification

3—
x•
3—
x
x•
I About one quarter of the 92 known elements will be considered in this
x • x •
4—
book. They are shown in Table 1-1, grouped as they appear in the
• 4— x•
x• periodic table. The first column is comprised of a group of elements
x •
5
0 1 2 3 xl known as the alkali metals; they have a valence of +1 (that is, in sea
5 1
0 10 20 30 40 water each atom loses one electron and becomes an ion with a single
Phosphate (PO 4 ), micromoles/liter Nitrate (NO 3 ), micromoles/liter
positive charge). The alkaline earths occupy column (2). These ele -
(c) (d)
ments have a common valence of +2 (two electrons are given up upon
solution in sea water, and the atom becomes a doubly charged ion).

r
0 x I The noble gases are in column (8). They do not undergo chemical
,• •• • reactions in sea water, but remain neutral and in gaseous form. Column
1-
S
• x?' (7) contains elements with the common property of accepting an extra
x x S. 1 — x x
x • x
electron (one of the electrons released by the alkali metal and the
x x • •—
2— 2— alkaline earth metal atoms). These elements are present in sea water
x•
x • x with a charge of —1. The elements in columns (3)—(6) all combine
3 x 3-  x with oxygen, and sometimes with hydrogen, to form multiatom ions. In
 x
•
x most cases, they form negatively charged ions; in a few cases, they form
4— 4— •
• neutral groupings. Those dissolved units with negative charges are
5
0 50 100
5 I •
x I known as anions; those with positive charges, as cations. Iron, man-
150 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 ganese, nickel, cobalt, copper, uranium, and thorium are the only other
Silica (Si0 2 ), micromoles/liter Oxygen Gas (0 2 ), milliliters/liter elements we will consider in this book in addition to those in Table 1 -1.
(e) (1)
The elements in the table are divided into three major catego ries:
Figure 1-1 The vertical distributions of temperature, salinity, phosphate, nitrate,
the biolimiting elements (those which are almost totally depleted in
silica, and oxygen gas for two stations in the Pacific Ocean as determined during
surface water); the biointermediate elements (those which are partially
depleted in surface water); and the biounlimited elements (those which
the Southern Cross Expedition of the Japanese Research Vessel Hakuho Maru. The
show no measurable depletion in surface water).
crosses represent data from a station at 23 ° S, 170° W; the circles, data from a
The three known biolimiting elements are nitrogen (N), phos -
station at 21 ° N, 170 ° W. (Data collected by Yoshio Horibe, Ocean Research
Institute, University of Tokyo.) * A per At (%, ) is a part per thousand; a percent is a part per hundred.

6 / Internal Cycling and Throughput E l e me n t C l a s s i f i c a t i o n / 7

Table 1-1 Abbreviated periodic table showing the elements whose marine Since we have a limited knowledge of the distribution of many of
chemistry will be dealt with in this book. For each, the dominant ionic and the rare metals dissolved in the sea, elements other than N, P, and Si
molecular forms found in sea water are noted. For those elements whose distribu - may eventually be found to be biolimiting, but this is highly unlikely.
tion within the sea is sufficiently well understood, the designations biolimiting, To demonstrate that an element is biounlimited, the ratio of that
biointermediate, and biounlimited are given. Asterisks denote minor constituents. element to the total salt in both surface and deep sea water samples is
measured. If the two results are equal within measurement error, the
conclusion can be drawn that organisms are not measurably depleting
(1) (8)
that element from surface water. Those elements currently classified as
Hydrogen Helium
H2O He
biounlimited are sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, magnesium,
H+* Unlimited strontium, boron, sulfur, fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. After more
Unlimited accurate analyses, one or more of these may be eliminated.
(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
Li+ Be++ H2O F— Ne
We are certain of only four biointermediate elements: calcium
H3B03 HCO3 N2
H2B03— CO3-- NO3- 02 Unlimited Unlimited (Ca), carbon (C), barium (Ba), and radium (Ra). The Ca content
Unlimited CO2 Limiting Intermediate of surface water salt is about 99 percent that of salt in deep water.
Intermediate
Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon
The C content of surface water salt is 85 percent that of deep water,
Na+ Mg++ H4SiO4 H2PO4-- SO4-- Cl- Ar and the Ba content of surface water salt is only 25 percent that of deep
Limiting H3PO4 — HS--* Unlimited Unlimited
Unlimited Unlimited
Limiting H2S* water.
Unlimited Of course, most of the oxygen in sea water is in the form of water
Potassium Calcium Bromine Krypton
itself. A small amount occurs in other forms, one of which is oxygen
K+ Ca++ Br Kr gas (0 2 ). As this gas is generated by plants and consumed by animals,
Unlimited Intermediate Unlimited Unlimited its anomaly pattern is the reverse of that for other biologically utilized
substances—that is, O., is most plentiful in surface water and depleted
Rubidium Strontium Xenon in deep water, as shown in Figure 1-1 (f).
Rb+ Sr++ Xe
Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Cesium Barium Radon

Cs+ Ba++ Rn Composition of Particulate Matter
Unlimited Intermediate Unlimited

Radium Three major types of particles fall from surface water into deep water:
Ra++
Intermediate organic tissue, calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), and opaline silica (Si02)•
All plants and animals produce organic tissue. Plants extract the ingredi-
t F o r m i n sea wat er is n ot k n own . ents for this tissue from the dissolved salt in sea water, and animals reuse
these ingredients by devouring plants and other animals. Many micro -
scopic plants and animals also produce hard parts made of CaCO 3 or
Si0 2 . Hard parts made of CaCO 3 are produced by coccolithophorida
phorus (P), and silicon (Si). Plant activity (and, in the case of silicon, (plants), foraminifera (animals), and pteropods (animals). Hard parts
animal activity as well) is actually efficient enough to extract these made of Si0 2 are produced by diatoms (plants) and radiolarians (ani -
three elements almost totally from surface water. Life in the surface mals). Photographs of a few of the types of hard parts produ ced by
ocean must therefore be limited by the availability of N, P, and Si. these organisms appear in Figure 1-2.
Deep water is greatly enriched in these elements in relation to surface The chemical composition of the organic soft tissue formed by
water as (c), (d), and (e) in Figure 1-1 indicate. When deep water is plants is relatively constant: for every atom of P in this tissue there are
returned to the surface, these elements become available to photo - roughly 15 atoms of N and 80 atoms of C. The ratios of these same
synthetic organisms, are fixed into particulate material, and are then elements dissolyed in deep sea water are 15 atoms of N and 800 atoms
carried by gravity back to the deep sea. of C for every atom of P. If a batch of typical deep Pacific water is
brought to „,-* surface, plants will extract the phosphate and the nitrate

8 / Internal Cycling and Throughput Composition of Particulate Matter / 9