The quantity of nutrients entering a water body or ecosystem from an external source in a given period of time.

A diverse category of tiny plants, animals, and bacteria that live suspended in the water column and are too small to swim against the current. There are two general types of plankton: Phytoplankton a [..]

A rapid growth of large amounts of micro- or macroalgae or cyanobacteria in water.

One of the two most abundant forms of calcium carbonate in the ocean. The other is calcite.

A measure of the thermodynamic tendency for the mineral calcium carbonate to form or to dissolve. The symbol Ω (omega) is often used as shorthand for "calcium carbonate saturation state". By [..]

The production and accumulation of calcium carbonate by living organisms to create hard body parts such as shells and skeletons.

Buffering is the resilience of seawater against changes in pH, or acidification. A well-buffered solution’s pH changes very little when an acid is added. Buffering capacity depends on a number of fact [..]

A well-buffered solution’s pH changes very little when an acid is added.

Buffering describes the resilience of seawater against changes in pH, or acidification.

A well-buffered solution’s pH changes very little when an acid is added. Buffering capacity varies depending on factors such as alkalinity, pH, temperature, and salinity. Ocean waters of the U.S. Nort [..]