In recent years, rapid scientific advances have been shattering
classical concepts of oceanic trace metals concentrations. Most of the
data gathered before the mid-1970s have had to be discarded. Possible
associations of organic and inorganic ligands with the metals were
throwing views of metal speciation into great uncertainty. Biological
effects of metals need to be re-examined after recent revelations of
unsuspected metal contaminations in methodology. The investigations
appear chaotic, yet exciting. It implies that a new order is going to
replace the past. Now, an opportunity opens its door to a brave new
world for the young generation of scientists to put metal chemistries in
the oceans into perspectiveo This N. AoToO. International Conference on
"Trace Metals in Sea Water" hoped to catalyze this exciting process of
unifying various aspects of trace metals in sea water in future years o
The Conference, in the form of an Advanced Research Institute supported
by the Scientific Affairs Division of NoAoT. O. supple- mented by
further assistance of the UoS. Office of Naval "Research, was held at
the "Ettore Majorana" Center for Scientific Culture in the medieval town
of Erice on the island of Sicily, Italy from March 30 to April 3, 1981.
It was the first organized gathering of international scientists in this
specialized field. Seventy scientists with various expertise in
different aspects of the subject were present: including those from
NoAoT. Oo countries (Canada, France, F. R. Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, U. K.