Marine organic geochemistry

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

This class provides students with an understanding of the distribution of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments from a global and molecular-level perspective. It surveys the mineralization and preservation of OC in the water column and within anoxic and oxic marine sediments. Topics include: OC composition, reactivity and budgets within, and fluxes through, major reservoirs; microbial recycling pathways for OC; models for OC degradation and preservation; role of anoxia in OC burial; relationships between dissolved and particulate (sinking and suspended) OC; methods for characterization of sedimentary organic matter; application of biological markers as tools in oceanography. Both structural and isotopic aspects are covered.

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