Synonyms
Divalent cations in seawater
Definition
The most abundant divalent earth alkaline cations in seawater are Mg2+, Ca2+, and Sr2+ are simply termed the “divalent cations.” These ions and their dynamic change play a major role for the modern oceans. On long geological time scales dynamic changes of divalent cation concentrations in the oceans influenced the evolution of live and the climate evolution in the past.
Divalent cations in modern ocean water
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, the atomic number 12, and an atomic mass of 24.31. Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the universe by mass. It constitutes about 2% of the Earth’s crust by mass, and it is the third most abundant element dissolved in seawater and it is the most abundant divalent cation followed by Ca and Sr in seawater (Brown et al., 1992). Mg ions are essential to all living cells, and is the 11th most abundant element by mass in the human body. In seawater (S= 35 psu), Mg...
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Eisenhauer, A. (2011). Divalent Earth Alkaline Cations in Seawater. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_75
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