Covers the chemical composition of seawater, the major and minor element cycles, dissolved gases, nutrient distribution and limitation, and the carbonate system.
The carbonate material extends beyond the standard open-ocean treatment. In coastal water, respiration, river input, upwelling and photosynthesis move pH on hourly and seasonal timescales that substantially exceed the long-term acidification trend. Organisms sensitive to acidification live inside that variability, and a shellfish larva experiences the hour it is in rather than an annual mean. The course works from high-frequency sensor records collected in the Aldwych estuary and at Prentice.
Laboratory work covers titration, nutrient analysis and sensor calibration.