The Chemistry of Phosphate and Nitrogen Compounds in Sediments


Book Description

This book deals with the processes behind cycles of the phosphate and nitrogen compounds in sediment and the phosphate equilibria between the sediment and the overlying water. In most waters, excessive concentrations of these compounds causes eutrophication: rapid, choking growth of algae. The chapters of this book probe the chemicals involved in considerable detail, and offer the complete understanding needed to remediate or prevent pollution problems.




Organic Phosphorus in the Environment


Book Description

Phosphorus is essential for life, yet is often the element most limiting for biological productivity. Although most organisms take up phosphorus in an inorganic form, organic forms frequently dominate in soils and aquatic systems. Up to this point, the role of organic phosphorus and mechanisms for its dynamics have been poorly understood. However, recent advances in research have shed new light on the subject and this book brings together these advances. It covers the transformation and characterization of organic phosphorus in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. It will attract a broad range of scientists from several disciplines.










Phosphorus in Freshwater Ecosystems


Book Description

Proceedings of a symposium held in Uppsala, Sweden, September 25-28, 1985




Water Quality


Book Description

This volume is of great importance to humans and other living organisms. The study of water quality draws information from a variety of disciplines including chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, engineering, and resource management. University training in water quality is often limited to specialized courses in engineering, ecology, and fisheries curricula. This book also offers a basic understanding of water quality to professionals who are not formally trained in the subject. The revised third edition updates and expands the discussion, and incorporates additional figures and illustrative problems. Improvements include a new chapter on basic chemistry, a more comprehensive chapter on hydrology, and an updated chapter on regulations and standards. Because it employs only first-year college-level chemistry and very basic physics, the book is well-suited as the foundation for a general introductory course in water quality. It is equally useful as a guide for self-study and an in-depth resource for general readers.




Organic Phosphorus in Marine Sediments


Book Description

Phosphorus, an essential nutrient, is removed from the oceans only through burial with marine sediments. Organic phosphorus (Porg) constitutes an important fraction (ca. 25%) of total-P in marine sediments. However, given the inherent lability of primary Porg biochemicals, it is a puzzle that any Porg is preserved in marine sediments. The goal of this thesis was to address this apparent paradox by linking bulk and molecular-level Porg information. A newly-developed sequential extraction method, which isolates sedimentary Porg reservoirs based on solubility, was used in concert with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMR) to quantify Porg functional group concentrations. The coupled extraction/31P-NMR method was applied to three sediment cores from the Santa Barbara Basin, and the first-ever high-resolution depth profiles of molecular-level Porg distribution during diagenesis were generated. These depth profiles were used to consider regulation of Porg distribution by biomass abundance, chemical structure, and physical protection mechanisms. Biomass cannot account for more than a few percent of sedimentary Porg. No evidence for direct structural control on remineralization of Porg was found. Instead, sorptive protection appears to be an important mechanism for Porg preservation, and structure may act as a secondary control due to preferential sorption of specific Porg compound classes.




Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter


Book Description

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of molecules found throughout the world's oceans. It plays a key role in the export, distribution, and sequestration of carbon in the oceanic water column, posited to be a source of atmospheric climate regulation. Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter, Second Edition, focuses on the chemical constituents of DOM and its biogeochemical, biological, and ecological significance in the global ocean, and provides a single, unique source for the references, information, and informed judgments of the community of marine biogeochemists. Presented by some of the world's leading scientists, this revised edition reports on the major advances in this area and includes new chapters covering the role of DOM in ancient ocean carbon cycles, the long term stability of marine DOM, the biophysical dynamics of DOM, fluvial DOM qualities and fate, and the Mediterranean Sea. Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter, Second Edition, is an extremely useful resource that helps people interested in the largest pool of active carbon on the planet (DOC) get a firm grounding on the general paradigms and many of the relevant references on this topic. Features up-to-date knowledge of DOM, including five new chapters The only published work to synthesize recent research on dissolved organic carbon in the Mediterranean Sea Includes chapters that address inputs from freshwater terrestrial DOM