The central theme of chemical oceanography is to describe and evalute the ocean as a chemical system. Emphasis is placed on understanding the stability of the marine environment with respect to changes that might be brought about by natural phenomena or by human activities. The application of recent advances in analytical instrumentation and techniques to the problems of marine environment has led to a rapid progress on a number of fronts which NIO is gradually adopting. The chemical researches in NIO have mainly addressed: Chemistry of Indus estuarine environment and its effect on the growth of fauna and flora in the area; Estimation of pollutants from land based activities and their hazard potential for marine environment. Distribution of nutrients and dissolved gases in the sea.
The research interests include pollution monitoring, environmental impact assessment and environmental sensitivity, classification of the coastal zone with respect to the existing levels of common pollutants in the area. The pollution monitoring is oriented to generate necessary data for the formulation of pollutant discharge standards and for adoption of pollution control measures.