Peter M. Williams was a pioneer in the field of marine organic chemistry for
thirty-five years. He died on 26 December 1994 of complicatio~ls from emphysema.
We dedicate this special volume of Deep-Sea Research to his memory and as a commemoration
of the vast amount of research inspired by his creativity and ideas, many
of which were far ahead of their time.
Research accomplishments of Peter Williams included:
Performing the first isolation of individual organic compounds from seawater.
Making the first determination of the stable carbon isotopic composition of
dissolved and particulate organic matter in the sea.
Performing the first radiocarbon dating of seawater organic matter.
Serving as a leader and major contributor to an interdisciplinary study on the
formation, composition and alteration of sea surface films.
Publishing, over three decades, results of the most comprehensive studies to date
on the distribution and cycling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the world's
oceans.
As John Hedges aptly expressed in his letter nominating Peter Williams as a Fellow
of the American Geophysical Union: "Who else can so accurately describe their
research interests simply as 'Marine Chemistry'?"
