ABSTRACT
The elements found in seawater (see Figure 3.1) include most of those in the periodic table. Of these, only 14 elements (O, H, Cl, Na, Mg, S, Ca, K, Br, C, Sr, B, Si, and F) have concentrations greater than 1 ppm. Most of these elements (with the exception of Si) are generally unreactive elements (both chemically and biologically). Many of the remaining elements, called minor, are involved in inorganic and biological reactions in the marine environment. The biolimited elements N, P, and Si are discussed Chapter 8. The inert gases are also discussed separately in Chapter 6.
