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Ocean, Chemical Evolution of

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Ocean salinity

Definition

The chemical composition of the ocean corresponds to the relative composition of major ions (Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Sr2+, Cl−, \( {\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-} \), HCO3 −, Br−, \( {\mathrm{CO}}_3^{2-} \), B(OH)3, B(OH)4 −, F−) of seawater. The major ion content is considered relatively constant and defined as salinity, which is a measure of the total dissolved salts in seawater (Table 1). The chemical evolution of the ocean is the evolution of its chemistry (major ions, pH, and oxygen content) and the processes that controlled the composition of this terrestrial reservoir.

Table 1 Standard mean seawater chemical composition (Salinity = 35 g/L) reported as mol kg H2O−1 (DOE 1994)
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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GEOTOP Research Center for Geochemistry and Geodynamics, Université du Québec à Montréal, H3C 3P8, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

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  1. Daniele L. Pinti
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Correspondence to Daniele L. Pinti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Pinti, D.L. (2014). Ocean, Chemical Evolution of. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1041-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1041-4

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Oceans, Chemical Evolution of
    Published:
    03 August 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1041-5

  2. Original

    Ocean, Chemical Evolution of
    Published:
    05 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1041-4

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