Dissolved amino acids in the equatorial Pacific, the Sargasso Sea, and Biscayne Bay1

Seawater samples from several depths in the Sargasso Sea and equatorial Pacific and from surface stations in Biscayne Bay were analyzed for dissolved free amino acids and dissolved combined amino acids by a ligand‐exchange chromatography technique. Enantiomeric ratios of dissolved total amino acids from Atlantic and Pacific samples were also determined. On the basis of these ratios, a bacterial source is postulated for the origin of the dissolved d‐amino acids in seawater. The possible contributions from chemical racemization are compared to biological production as a source for these d‐amino acids.