Observations made at sea and examination of global ozone monitoring data from oceanic sites indicate that ozone mixing ratios over the sea surface often increasing with increase wind speed. However, the slope of the increase approaches zero at wind speeds above about 6 m/sec (13 kts). Subsequent laboratory experiments confirmed that ozone can be purged from any seawater sample whether freshly collected, stored, or from depth. Samples of Lake Michigan water are purged of ozone in less time than seawater and its capacity is less than that of seawater. The rate of evolution of ozone is increased by altering the pH, changing the ionic strength by the addition of salts or by evaporation. These results suggest that a significant portion of tropospheric boundary layer ozone mixing ratios could be maintained by a reversible equilibrium with the ocean and lake surfaces. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1988