Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamics is a big book on a big subject written by two big names in the field. The publication of this book is very timely. It benefits from the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study, an international study of ocean biogeochemical fluxes that took place between 1987 and 2003. It is also timely because of the recent surge of interest in climate change. The oceans are a globally significant reservoir for carbon and the interactions between ocean, the atmosphere (a smaller and transient reservoir) and the terrestrial system (the other large reservoir) lie at the centre of understanding the natural processes involved in regulating climate.
The book covers the broad framework of ocean biogeochemistry and it does so in a comprehensive manner. The chapters in the book cover tracer conservation and ocean transport, which sets the physical framework for ocean biogeochemistry. Air-sea interaction is then covered before the main thrust of the book is presented. This is on organic matter production, its export and remineralization, followed by remineralization and burial in ocean sediments. Following this, there are chapters on the cycling of silicate, carbon and calcium carbonate. The final chapter is on the carbon cycle, CO2 and climate. There are no chapters devoted to the cycling of nitrogen or phosphorus, which are nevertheless important elements in the biogeochemistry of the ocean. The book focuses on the key elements and their interactions within sea water and provides an excellent broad theoretical background on the subject complete with mathematic formulations for many of the processes involved. Understanding the mathematics, which is not complex, is not essential to understand the text
Ocean Biogeochemical Dynamics is intended primarily for those at postgraduate level and above, although it will also be used in advanced courses at undergraduate level. It is likely to be used as a reference book in the sense that there are few other texts that cover the topic so comprehensively.
The material selected is thorough and detailed, yet lucid and easy to read. It is clear that the authors have consulted widely, having commissioned their own reviews of individual chapters. This has achieved an excellent balance of the subject. The chapters on the biological controls on sea water chemistry are particularly well presented and were delightful to read. However, it would have been more satisfying (at least for this reviewer) to have had greater emphasis on the microbial realm and its dynamics, since it is this that drives much of ocean biogeochemistry. Bacteria are mentioned in passing, and newly emerging topics such as the biogeochemical role of viruses in the oceans are not mentioned. But these comments need to be weighed against the tremendous scope of the book.
Readers of Environmental Conservation with an interest in marine biogeochemistry and earth system science are encouraged to purchase or borrow this book. It is a comprehensive text on a complex and timely topic, and is one that will enlighten students and professionals alike. The authors are to be congratulated on their tour-de-force.
