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The Grand Geochemical Cycle: Residence time

Total amount in seawater (kg). Residence Time (yrs.) =. Input rate (kg/yr). The Grand Geochemical Cycle: Residence time. Let ’ s consider:. The average time that a substance remains dissolved in seawater We call this the “ residence time ” of an element or substance.

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The Grand Geochemical Cycle: Residence time

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  1. Total amount in seawater (kg) Residence Time (yrs.) = Input rate (kg/yr) The Grand Geochemical Cycle: Residence time Let’s consider: The average time that a substance remains dissolved in seawater We call this the “residence time”of an element or substance where Input rate= average concentration in rivers (kg/km3) x river discharge (km3/yr) We will see how this works: first for water, then for total salt, and, finally, for some individual elements. These calculations give us insights into how the system works

  2. Residence time of water in the ocean Volume = 1.4 x 109 km3 River Influx = 3.7 x 105 km3 /yr t = Volume / Influx 1.4 x 109 km3 3.7 x 105 km3 t = 4000 years t = How long does it take to cycle ocean water through rivers and back again?

  3. The Grand Geochemical Cycle --think about it! •Should only take about 2 x 107 years (20 million yrs.) to bring oceans to present salinity • Assuming: • rivers have kept approx. same input through time • oceans have kept approx. same composition through time --but we know oceans are 3.8 billion yrs. old •This confirms that there must be output of material from ocean!! •How much time to make the ocean salty? • about 5 x 1022 grams of dissolved solids in ocean • rivers bring in about 2.5 x 1015 gm dissolved solids per year

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