Geochemistry of Marine Humic Compounds [Paperback]

1 Origin and Distribution of Organic Compounds in the Marine Environment.- Inventory of Organic Carbon.- Geochemical Significance of Carbon-Containing Compounds.- Evolution of Life and Development of Organic Matter.- Beginning of Life on Earth.- Primitive Organisms and their Evolution.- Higher Land Plants and Animals.- Genesis and Survival of Organic Compounds During Geological Time.- Distribution of Organic Matter in Oceans and on Land.- Marine Primary Productivity and Factors Governing Productivity.- Global Marine Primary Productivity.- Terrestrial Productivity and Its Impact on Oceans.- Nature and Fate of Organic Matter.- Transformations of Organic Matter in the Water Column.- Origin, Concentrations and Nature of DOM and POM.- Aggregation, Sedimentation, and Distribution of Organic Matter.- Factors Affecting the Distribution of Organic Matter in Sediments.- Concentration of Organic Carbon in Surficial Sediments.- Summary.- 2 Humif?cationA Major Biogeochemical Phenomenon.- Nature of Microbial Population.- Bacteria.- Fungi.- Actinomycetes.- Chemical Composition of Organisms.- Some Major Cellular Constituents and Products of their Microbial Degradation.- Proteins and Related Compounds and their Microbial Disintegration.- Carbohydrates, their Related Compounds and their Microbial Decomposition.- Lipids and Related Compounds.- Lignins and Products of their Degradation.- Formation and Transformations of Phenolic Compounds.- Formation of Humus.- Reactions of Phenolic Compounds with Nitrogenous Substances.- Reactions of Amino Acids with Sugars.- Products of Humification.- Factors Influencing Humification.- Distribution of Humic Compounds in the Marine Environment.- Concentrations of Humic Compounds in the Water Column.- Concentrations of Humic Compounds in the Sedimentary Column.- Summary.- 3 Physico-chemical Characteristics of Marine Humic Compounds.- Major Components of Humic Substances.- Major Phenolic and Aromatic Compounds.- Major Aliphatic Constituents.- Structural³"