﻿THE 
  SEA 
  AS 
  A 
  STOREHOUSE 
  1 
  

  

  By 
  E. 
  F. 
  Abmsteong, 
  D. 
  Sc, 
  F. 
  R. 
  S. 
  

  

  [With 
  4 
  plates] 
  

  

  In 
  an 
  island 
  country 
  the 
  quest 
  for 
  relaxation 
  normally 
  brings 
  the 
  

   great 
  majority 
  of 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  for 
  holidays, 
  where 
  we 
  make 
  ac- 
  

   quaintance 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  perhaps 
  also 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  wonders 
  and 
  

   the 
  things 
  which 
  live 
  and 
  grow 
  in 
  it. 
  Many 
  people 
  cross 
  the 
  narrow 
  

   seas 
  to 
  the 
  continent, 
  in 
  others 
  the 
  urge 
  of 
  discovery 
  takes 
  them 
  across 
  

   the 
  oceans 
  : 
  all 
  are 
  conscious 
  of 
  the 
  immensity 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  salt. 
  

  

  Saltness 
  is 
  an 
  indication 
  that 
  substances 
  in 
  some 
  quantity 
  are 
  dis- 
  

   solved 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  largely 
  common 
  salt, 
  which 
  in 
  many 
  lands 
  is 
  won 
  

   from 
  the 
  sea 
  by 
  solar 
  evaporation. 
  Sea 
  water 
  contains 
  appreciable 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  other 
  salts 
  besides 
  sodium 
  chloride, 
  in 
  particular 
  of 
  mag- 
  

   nesium 
  and 
  potassium 
  sulfates 
  and 
  chlorides. 
  More 
  complete 
  analy- 
  

   sis 
  has 
  disclosed 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  quite 
  minute 
  quantities 
  of 
  other 
  ele- 
  

   ments 
  present 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  1 
  part 
  in 
  1,000 
  or 
  less, 
  and 
  still 
  others 
  

   present 
  in 
  even 
  more 
  minute 
  quantity 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  reflection 
  shows 
  that 
  

   this 
  must 
  be 
  so, 
  for 
  the 
  oceans 
  are 
  the 
  ultimate 
  receptacle 
  of 
  everything 
  

   that 
  is 
  washed 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  by 
  the 
  rain 
  and 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  rivers 
  into 
  

   the 
  sea. 
  This 
  includes 
  both 
  dissolved 
  and 
  suspended 
  matter. 
  

  

  The 
  wind 
  and 
  the 
  rain 
  and 
  frost 
  — 
  the 
  agencies 
  of 
  destruction 
  and 
  

   denudation 
  — 
  break 
  down 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  scour 
  the 
  valleys. 
  Acid 
  waters 
  

   on 
  the 
  moors, 
  neutral 
  or 
  alkaline 
  waters 
  on 
  the 
  plains, 
  salt 
  water 
  in 
  

   the 
  sea, 
  all 
  act 
  to 
  bring 
  into 
  solution 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  sparingly 
  solu- 
  

   ble 
  substances. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  any 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rarer 
  constituents 
  of 
  

   the 
  earth's 
  crust 
  in 
  a 
  million 
  parts 
  of 
  sea 
  water 
  is 
  minute 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  

   many 
  are 
  only 
  detectable 
  by 
  the 
  most 
  refined 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  analytical 
  

   chemist. 
  Some, 
  indeed, 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  ashes 
  of 
  plants. 
  

  

  About 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  surface 
  is 
  water. 
  In 
  bulk 
  this 
  

   is 
  estimated 
  to 
  amount 
  to 
  300 
  million 
  cubic 
  miles. 
  

  

  A 
  cubic 
  mile 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  handy 
  unit 
  for 
  statistics 
  regarding 
  the 
  

   content 
  of 
  minerals. 
  It 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  gigantic 
  unit, 
  for 
  in 
  round 
  fig- 
  

   ures 
  it 
  will 
  contain 
  6 
  million 
  tons 
  of 
  magnesia, 
  4 
  million 
  tons 
  of 
  potash, 
  

  

  1 
  Reprinted 
  by 
  permission 
  from 
  Discovery, 
  March 
  1943. 
  

  

  135 
  

  

  