Interactions between dissolved trace elements and organic ligands in seawater play an important role in ocean biogeochemistry, ranging from regulating primary production in surface waters to element cycling on basin-wide scale, with strong feedbacks to climate variability. In this study, we review different aspects in the field of marine trace elements and their organic ligands: recent instrumental innovation, factors that affect the fate of trace element complexes at the molecular level, spatial distribution of organic matter – trace element complexes in the ocean, modeling approaches as well as prospect in the scenarios of climate variability. We also assess the critical issues of parameterization in the numerical simulation that incorporate the trace elements – organic ligands interactions. Given the predicted climate changes, we examine the potential of exchange between inorganic and organic complexes for trace elements in different oceanic provinces.