Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Copper in surface waters south of New Zealand

Nature volume 253, pages 107–109 (1975)Cite this article

Abstract

THE sampling of the transition metals, including copper, in the ocean has so far produced unsatisfactory results. Reported measurements show quite a large scatter within a given suite of data and significant differences between investigators1–3. Published profiles in general look quite unlike any of the ‘accepted’ distributions for other dissolved species outlined later nor are there any close similarities between the transition elements themselves. Either they have a unique geochemistry or the data are to some degree invalid. For copper, contamination during sampling has been suggested4 as one source of error, and we have tried to overcome this by sampling surface waters in regions of marked horizontal gradients in chemical properties.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Spencer, D. W., Robertson, D. E., Turekian, K. K., and Folsom, R., J. geophys. Res., 75, 7688 (1970).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brewer, P. G., Spencer, D. W., and Robertson, D. E., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 16, 111 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Spencer, D. W., GEOSECS Intercalibration and test cruise, WHOI Report No. 70–63 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Patterson, C., Science, 183, 553 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Brass, G. W., and Turekian, K. K., Earth planet. Sci. Lett., 23, 141–148 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wong, G. T. F., and Brewer, P. G., J. mar. Res., 32, 25 (1974).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Goldberg, E. O., Broecker, W. S., Gross, M. G., and Turekian, K. K., in Radioactivity in the Marine Environment, ch. 5 (NRC–NAS, Washington DC, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hughes, M. N., The Inorganic Chemistry of Biological Processes, ch. 5 (Wiley, London, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Arrhenius, G. A., in The Sea (edit. by Hill, M. N.), III, ch. 25 (1963).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Livingston, H. D., and Thompson, G., Limnol. Oceanogr., 16, 786 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    E. BOYLE & J. M. EDMOND

Authors
  1. E. BOYLE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. M. EDMOND
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

BOYLE, E., EDMOND, J. Copper in surface waters south of New Zealand. Nature 253, 107–109 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253107a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253107a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing