ABSTRACT
Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Brook Road, Wormley, Godalming, Surrey, U.K.
Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev., 1982. 20, 119-172 Margaret Barnes, Ed. Aberdeen University Press
INTRODUCTION
The suspended particulate matter controls the chemistry of the oceans; the more reactive an element or chemical species the more rapidly it is removed from solution to the particle phase and the faster it sediments. There are many complex interrelated processes to be considered in the elucidation of particulate and element cycling. For example, the three dimensional relationship of latitude, longitude, and depth compared with particle concentration and composition needs to be known in the context of physical variables such as temperature, salinity, and density; adsorption, absorption, desorption, and dissolution require estimation for different particle types and chemical species; the biological involvement in terms of uptake, excretion, and settling of tests plays a major rôle as does the physical aggregation, fragmentation, and disaggregation of such particles.
