Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026
10:43
Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
Published on: November 5, 2014
Wally's quest to understand the ocean's CaCO3 cycle.
1Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA. broecker@ldeo.columbia.edu
Annual Review of Marine Science
|December 15, 2010
Summary
This review highlights research on calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production and dissolution cycles in modern and ancient oceans. It focuses on carbonate chemistry and deep-sea compensation for CaCO3 overproduction.
Area of Science:
- Marine Chemistry
- Paleoceanography
- Geochemistry
Background:
- Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) hard parts are central to marine chemistry and paleoceanography.
- Research on CaCO3 cycles spans from the 1960s to the present, involving global ocean studies.
- Studies have utilized shells and coral, incorporating stable and radioisotopes for Earth system reconstruction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review key findings on the CaCO3 cycle in contemporary and past oceans.
- To concentrate on carbonate chemistry and deep-sea compensation mechanisms.
- To provide a personal account of a career dedicated to understanding CaCO3 dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of carbonate chemistry in marine environments.
- Use of stable and radioisotopes in shells and coral.
- Investigation of deep-sea CaCO3 compensation.
Main Results:
- Significant contributions to understanding CaCO3 production and dissolution.
- Insights into the global CaCO3 cycle and its historical variations.
- Detailed examination of deep-sea carbonate chemistry and compensation.
Conclusions:
- The CaCO3 cycle is a critical component of Earth system science.
- Deep-sea carbonate chemistry plays a vital role in regulating ocean CaCO3.
- Continued research is essential for understanding ocean health and past climate.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:14The Carbon Cycle
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle.
01:21The Phosphorus Cycle
Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, phosphorus is not present in the atmosphere as a gas. Instead, most phosphorus in the ecosystem exists as compounds, such as phosphate ions (PO43-), found in soil, water, sediment and rocks. Phosphorus is often a limiting nutrient (i.e., in short supply). Consequently, phosphorus is added to most agricultural fertilizers, which can cause environmental problems related to runoff in aquatic ecosystems.
01:00The Water Cycle
The Earth’s hydrosphere includes all of the areas where the storage and movement of water occurs. Since water is the basis of all living processes, the cycling of water is extremely important to ecosystem dynamics.
02:34Water and Mineral Acquisition
Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
00:54What are Biogeochemical Cycles?
The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
01:22The Sulfur Cycle
Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual...