Inputs of organic matter to the ocean

The first objective of this introductory paper is to summarize our present understanding of the quantities of total organic carbon produced in the ocean by photosynthesis and non-biotic photochemical reactions, and the amount entering the ocean from rivers, the atmosphere, and the sediments. In this overview it will become apparent that our knowledge of the primary mechanisms and processes involved with the input of organic matter to the ocean via rivers, the atmosphere, sediments, and in situ photochemical reactions is fragmentary and often completely lacking. This becomes critical when we attempt to estimate the input of certain naturally occurring organic compounds and some synthetic organic compounds, since their primary input to the sea is generally via the atmosphere, rivers, and dumping. Thus the second objective of this paper is to emphasize our need to understand the mechanisms involved in these other input processes and the necessity of developing field programs and mathematical models to evaluate the input of specific organic compounds via these pathways. Polychlorinated biphenyls are used as examples of how necessary it is to understand these other input routes in order to evaluate the cycling of pollutant substances in the ocean

Theoretical, experimental and field studies concerning molecular diffusion of radioisotopes in sediments and suspended solid particles of the sea Part A: Theories and mathematical calculations

The best way to describe the kinetics of the uptake of radioisotopes from sea water by bottom sediments and suspended solid matter is by molecular diffusion. The basic diffusion laws can be applied for finding the important parameter of the diffusion, the diffusion coefficient, which will characterize the migration of radioisotopes in sediments and the kinetics of the sorption into solid suspended matter. A theoretical approach is made for several situations, for which the relation between concentration with time and distance, or total uptake with time is calculated