Abstract
Copper can occur in seawater in several forms. The most abundant inorganic complexes of copper at the pH and ionic composition of seawater are CuCO3, various copper-chloride complexes, and Cu(OH)2, the latter as a microparticulate precipitate. Dissolved ionic and complexed copper can be thought of as being in equilibrium with insoluble cupric hydroxide in seawater. Free ionic cupric copper (Cu+2) usually represents less than 5% of the total dissolved inorganic copper in seawater. Copper has a strong affinity for complexation with organic ligands, such as humic substances, dissolved organic matter, and bacterial particles, so little is present in true solution in seawater as toxic inorganic species. The range of concentration of total copper in clean oceanic seawater is 0.05 to 0.35 μg/L at the surface. The concentration of copper may increase to more than 0.5 μg/L at abyssal depths. Concentrations of dissolved copper tend to be higher in estuaries and coastal waters; highest concentrations occur in the low salinity regions of estuaries and decrease with increasing salinity.
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