Marine chemistry is one of the applied sciences and it is the corner stone in the field of marine science as it constitutes the link between its different disciplines. Interest in marine studies has started in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about three decades ago. This interest was the result of the fact that the kingdom has a maritime façade of about 2000 km on both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf and gave rise to the creation of the faculty of marine science in 1401H. Marine chemistry department is one of the four core departments that represent the different disciplines in marine studies. The department staff members cover a broad band of specialties, such as biochemistry, chemical ecology, biogeochemistry of natural and anthropogenic elements, analytical chemistry, marine pollution, organic chemistry and chemistry of marine natural products. Laboratories of the department are supervised by two staff members specialized in analytical chemistry and assisted by qualified and experienced technicians. A considerable effort is continuously done to enhance the analytical efforts of the laboratories by acquiring the most recent analytical equipments and adopting the most up-to-date analytical techniques. In this context, the laboratories are equipped with a variety of spectrophotometers, gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography, GC-mass spectrometry, carbon-nitrogen analyzer, and electrochemistry/polarography. The department, besides its educational responsibility, participates actively in the development and advance of knowledge in the field of marine chemistry through a pronounced research effort. It interacts also with the society through the organization of training programs for all the organisms representing maritime related activities. The department is continuously concerned by the advances in marine science and regularly updates its curriculum for both the B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs. Shortly, a PhD programme will be opened to offer the possibility for young Saudi scientists to extend their knowledge and augment the national capabilities.
Objectives of the department:
- Offering outstanding courses in marine chemistry for students enrolled in the B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes.
- Undertaking research programmes in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf with particular emphasis on the environmental/pollution problems.
- Valorization of the marine resources through research on marine natural products
- Enhancing exchange with the academic and research institutions on the regional and international scale
- Enhancing the interaction and cooperation with the public and private sectors to help in preserving the marine environment (expertise and training programmes)
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