Abstract
The variability at all space and time scales observed in the upper ocean is in marked contrast with the relative uniformity of distributions in the deep ocean. The complexity and variability of the upper layers of the ocean at a wide range of space and time scales has been demonstrated by the dense sampling techniques available for temperature, salinity and chlorophyll. It is highly probable that for many chemical constituents there will be similar structure which is not accessible for study by present methods. Three partial resolutions of this problem are suggested: (1) Development of methods to give comparable density of observation in the three dimensions x, z & t, (2) Relations between selected organic compounds which may have large coherence scales as a result of their specific biological functions, and (3) Integration of surface and deep water studies, particularly, but not solely, through the use of sediment trap methods.
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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Steele, J.H. (1986). Upper Ocean Chemistry: Space and Time Scales. In: Burton, J.D., Brewer, P.G., Chesselet, R. (eds) Dynamic Processes in the Chemistry of the Upper Ocean. NATO Conference Series, vol 17. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5215-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5215-0_4
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