Composition of the Major Components of Seawater

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