What is Chemical Oceanography and Why Study It?

Chemical oceanography is the study of the ocean with a chemical perspective. A chemical oceanographer could find themselves analyzing samples from ocean boundaries such as the air/water, river/ocean, sediment/water interfaces, from within the water column and/or from surficial or deep sediments. Chemical oceanography is involved with an extremely broad range of disciplines and can no longer really be studied as a 'stand alone' discipline - ie, if you study chemical oceanography it is highly likely that you will not only find yourself collaborating with other oceanographers - physicists, biologists and geologists, but also with other 'geo-science' disciplines, such as atmospheric, geographical and geological scientists.

Analyzing the chemicals of the ocean can answer a large number of questions relating to a wide variety of apparently dissociated disciplines ie, from evolution to environmental bioremediation. The faculty at College Station have often worked together to answer these questions.

Where Do We Study?

Yes it is true, the faculty at Texas A&M, College Station are land locked. But, that has not stopped us conducting research from all over the world - including as close as the Gulf of Mexico, to as far away as the Antarctic. One of our faculty has even analyzed samples from Mars.

The benthic boundary layer and surface sediments:

• Laguna Madre
• Bahamas
• Gulf of Mexico
• Mississippi Bight

Open Ocean:

• Gulf of Mexico

Air/sea interactions:

• Riverine
• Estuaries
• Ocean Margins

Coastlines/Islands:

• Gulf of Mexico

Estra terrestrial:

• Mars

Other:

• Colloids

Chemical Oceanography Academic Advisor: Dr. Shari Yvon-Lewis

See also Research Topics