The 176Hf/177Hf ratio was measured on 34 ferromanganese nodules, mostly from the Atlantic ocean. The different ocean basins are isotopically distinct with the extreme compositions being less radiogenic in the Atlantic (&egr;Hf~+1) than in the Pacific (&egr;Hf~+9). A good correlation of &egr;Hf and &egr;Nd is observed amongst most samples which supports that Hf isotopic compositions in nodules reflect those of ambient seawater. For a given &egr;Nd, &egr;Hf is more radiogenic in ferromanganese nodules than in rocks from either the mantle or the crust. This correlation makes the coupled Hf-Nd systems a potential paleoceanographic tool. It is argued that a zircon-free clayish component of probable eolian origin may account for the radiogenic Hf in nodules. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union