ABSTRACT
Seawater is composed of a number of different components that can be divided into the following phases:
Solids (material that does not pass through a 0.45-μπι filter)
Particulate organic material (plant detritus)
Particulate inorganic material (minerals)
Gases
Conservative (N2, Ar, Xe)
Nonconservative (O2 and CO2)
Colloids (passes through a 0.45-μηι filter but is not dissolved)
Organic (complex sugars)
Inorganic (iron hydroxides)
Dissolved solutes
Inorganic solutes
Major (>1 ppm)
Minor (<1 ppm)
Organic solutes