Abstract
Measurements of the pH and total alkalinity have been made on waters collected in the western Mediterranean Sea. These results have been used to examine the elements of the carbonate system, HCO
3
−, CO
3
2−, CO
2, ΣCO
2, P
CO
2
, and specific alkalinity. The saturation of Mediterranean Gibraltar is supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate. Our results for the saturation state (Ω) for Mediterranean waters are in good agreement with the results of
Alekin (
Geochemistry,
206, 239–242, 1972) and those calculated from the GEOSECS (Geochemical Ocean Sections) test station in the eastern Mediterranean. The saturation state of calcite and aragonite in deep Mediterranean waters in higher than that of deep North Atlantic waters.
