As we discover more about the role of the ocean in global changes and identify the effects of global change on the ocean, understanding its chemical composition and processes becomes increasingly paramount. However, understanding these processes requires a wide range of measurements in the vast ocean, from the sea surface to deep-ocean trenches, from the tropics to the poles. Practical Guidelines for the Analysis of Seawater provides a common analytical basis for generating quality-assured and reliable data on chemical parameters in the ocean.

A source of practical know-how, the book covers sampling and storage, analytical methodology, and guidelines and procedures for quality assurance. It presents analytical methods with the step-by-step procedures that help practitioners implement these methods successfully into the laboratory, making them instantly applicable without consulting further literature. The book also contains essential information for developing or improving quality control and quality assurance programs in the laboratory. It includes the availability and measurement of standard reference materials, blank estimation and correction, control of recoveries, and statistical evaluation of quality assurance data.

Analytical chemistry is a very active and fast moving area. Despite the development of innovative new analytical techniques for chemical trace element research, obtaining reliable data at ultra-trace levels remains a formidable challenge. A complete and practical guide, this book delineates proven methods that consistently yield reproducible data in routine work.