Seawater: Its Composition, Properties and Behaviour (Open University Oceanography)

A concise account of the special properties of water and the role of the oceans in the hydrological cycle. Explains the distribution of temperature and salinity in the oceans, and their combined influence on water density and movements. Behaviour of light and sound are also considered together with the applications of acoustics to oceanography. Further subjects examined include the composition and behaviour of dissolved constituents (minor and major ions, gases and nutrients) together with such topics as residence times and redox relationships. Concludes with a review of the involvement of seawater in global cycles, climatic change and the carbon dioxide problem.