Water—rock partition coefficients and the composition of natural waters — A reassessment

Recent data on world average river water composition and global mean composition of crustal rocks have allowed a reconsideration of earlier work on the concept of a chemical steady-state in the world ocean system. In the light of these new data, initial statistical analyses have been reinterpreted or modified. This paper reports improved correlations between mean oceanic residence times ($\text{t}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>Y</mtext>}}$) and water—rock partition coefficients (K_Y), and between K_Y and the electronegativity function (Q_YO). Such correlations support the concept that the average composition of seawater can be estimated, based on a simple dynamic model, using the electronegativities of elements and the rate of input of dissolved components.