Observations on the chemistry of the waters of the Bay of Bengal off Madras city during 1948-1949

The study of the fundamental problem of the productivity of the sea involves knowledge of the composition of the sea water, particularly with reference to those inorganic compounds which form a valuable link in the food chain of life in the sea. The most important among these are th~ compounds of phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon. Studies on the distribution and seasoml varia tion of these compounds, commonly referred to as 'nutrients', form an essential preliminary to a more detailed biological investigation of the sea