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A coastal pond studied by oceanographic methods
Deep-SeaResearch, 1974,Vol. 21, pp. 893 to 894. Pergamon1)reu. Printedin Great Britain.
BOOK
REVIEWS
A coastal pond studied by oceanographic methods by K. O. EMERY.American Elsevier Publishing Co., New York. 80 pp., 9 tables, 43 figures. TrrIs noog deserves a wide public. It is recommended, not only to specialists but also to teachers who seek to breathe interest into science as a classroom subject whether it is taught as physics, chemistry, biology or geography. The work described should suggest to the younger reader ('teenage or older) dozens of experiments for which material can be collected just where young people like to be: in the open air. The sixth-former with an eye to a University scholarship should read the book from end to end. Perhaps I should add that most of the experiments can be carried out in freshwater ponds hundreds of miles from the sea. Indeed, as an ex-Gramrnar School teacher I find it hard to fault this book. The easily readable text and the clarity of the diagrams make it a model for anyone who has the idea of making his own experiences available to the public in an interesting, albeit logical way. J. B. Rloo 23 Furze View, Chorley Wood, Herts W03 5HT, England. Trace elements in the environment, edited by E. L. K e a r n Y , 1973. Advances in Chemistry Series 123, American Chemical Society, 149 pp., $11.50. Tim P~FAC~ to this volume presents a broad range of geochemical problems and states that we must study environmental geochemistry in order to "gain insight into the origin, transition, and concentration of a particular element". We urgently need to understand the natural and cultural sources of elements, the importance of dispersal mechanisms such as atmospheric transport, the role elements play in the biological cycle and their transfer to soils, rivers, and oceans. This is a tall order and the reader will be left dissatisfied because the papers included in Trace elements in the environment cover random aspects of different problems. Of the nine papers included in this volume, three relate to boron, two to mercury, one each to lead, vanadium, and selenium, and one to the geochemical aspects of inorganic aerosols. A thorough summary of functional aspects of boron in plants is given by W. M. Dugger. From his discussion it is evident that good progress has been made in understanding the biochemical role of boron in plants. F. T. Bingham reviews the forms of boron in soils and irrigation waters, mainly in relation to agricultural problems. R. Kunin presents laboratory data on a macroreticular boronspecific ion-exchange resin, useful for deborating irrigation waters. This resin may also be useful in a preconcentration step for determining boron in seawater. E. L. Kothney presents a somewhat rambling review of the distribution of Hg in the environment. He summarizes the cycle of mercury in a diagram that most readers will find indecipherable. He also includes a rather trivial glossary. The extreme volatility of Hg from natural sources such as mercury mines in the Clear Lake area and steam wells at The Geysers, California, as well as industrial sources, is demonstrated by A. F. Jepsen, who used a portable detector for airborne mercury. A novel method for separating automotive from non-automotive lead in atmospheric samples is discussed by J. J. Wesolowski, W. John, and R. Kaifer. Though they were successful in determining when a non-antomotive Pb source was operating, their attempts to locate the source were less convincing. W. H. Zoller, G. E. Gordon, E. S. Gladney, and A. G. Jones describe the sources and distribution of vanadium in the atmosphere and make a good attempt to identify the soluble and insoluble fractions. H. W. Lakin presents a thorough but uncritical review of the environmental distribution of selenium. D. J. Bressan, R. A. Carr, and P. E. Wilkniss review the chemistry of
893
BOOK
REVIEWS
A coastal pond studied by oceanographic methods by K. O. EMERY.American Elsevier Publishing Co., New York. 80 pp., 9 tables, 43 figures. TrrIs noog deserves a wide public. It is recommended, not only to specialists but also to teachers who seek to breathe interest into science as a classroom subject whether it is taught as physics, chemistry, biology or geography. The work described should suggest to the younger reader ('teenage or older) dozens of experiments for which material can be collected just where young people like to be: in the open air. The sixth-former with an eye to a University scholarship should read the book from end to end. Perhaps I should add that most of the experiments can be carried out in freshwater ponds hundreds of miles from the sea. Indeed, as an ex-Gramrnar School teacher I find it hard to fault this book. The easily readable text and the clarity of the diagrams make it a model for anyone who has the idea of making his own experiences available to the public in an interesting, albeit logical way. J. B. Rloo 23 Furze View, Chorley Wood, Herts W03 5HT, England. Trace elements in the environment, edited by E. L. K e a r n Y , 1973. Advances in Chemistry Series 123, American Chemical Society, 149 pp., $11.50. Tim P~FAC~ to this volume presents a broad range of geochemical problems and states that we must study environmental geochemistry in order to "gain insight into the origin, transition, and concentration of a particular element". We urgently need to understand the natural and cultural sources of elements, the importance of dispersal mechanisms such as atmospheric transport, the role elements play in the biological cycle and their transfer to soils, rivers, and oceans. This is a tall order and the reader will be left dissatisfied because the papers included in Trace elements in the environment cover random aspects of different problems. Of the nine papers included in this volume, three relate to boron, two to mercury, one each to lead, vanadium, and selenium, and one to the geochemical aspects of inorganic aerosols. A thorough summary of functional aspects of boron in plants is given by W. M. Dugger. From his discussion it is evident that good progress has been made in understanding the biochemical role of boron in plants. F. T. Bingham reviews the forms of boron in soils and irrigation waters, mainly in relation to agricultural problems. R. Kunin presents laboratory data on a macroreticular boronspecific ion-exchange resin, useful for deborating irrigation waters. This resin may also be useful in a preconcentration step for determining boron in seawater. E. L. Kothney presents a somewhat rambling review of the distribution of Hg in the environment. He summarizes the cycle of mercury in a diagram that most readers will find indecipherable. He also includes a rather trivial glossary. The extreme volatility of Hg from natural sources such as mercury mines in the Clear Lake area and steam wells at The Geysers, California, as well as industrial sources, is demonstrated by A. F. Jepsen, who used a portable detector for airborne mercury. A novel method for separating automotive from non-automotive lead in atmospheric samples is discussed by J. J. Wesolowski, W. John, and R. Kaifer. Though they were successful in determining when a non-antomotive Pb source was operating, their attempts to locate the source were less convincing. W. H. Zoller, G. E. Gordon, E. S. Gladney, and A. G. Jones describe the sources and distribution of vanadium in the atmosphere and make a good attempt to identify the soluble and insoluble fractions. H. W. Lakin presents a thorough but uncritical review of the environmental distribution of selenium. D. J. Bressan, R. A. Carr, and P. E. Wilkniss review the chemistry of
893