GEOTRACES

Geotraces is an international program aimed at understanding the cycling and interactions of trace-metals and isotopes in the world's oceans. Trace-metals in the ocean can be both good and bad; some metals are nutrients for aquatic organisms while other metals can be toxic pollutants. Sources of trace-metals are be both natural or anthropogenic (human made), but either way are a good way to observe global change. Trace-metal research obtained through the Geotraces program can be used as a baseline to assess what impact global change (temperature, human emissions, natural emissions) will have on our oceans in the future. Some research may also be used as a gateway to the past, to help scientist understand what the ocean was like years ago. Below is a map of completed (black lines) and in progress (red lines) cruises in the Atlantic Ocean. (Our cruise is line A03). For more information on Geotraces and to see cruise paths in other oceans visit geotraces.org.