MSC 180 Water Analysis

In order to understand the sea, some of its chemical properties are important. This page details the chemical composition of sea water, salinity, density, its dissolved gases, carbon dioxide and pH as limiting factor. Chemical elements in sea water do not exist on their own but are attracted to preferential ions of opposite charge: sulphur will occur mainly as sulphate, sodium as sodium chloride, and so on.

Guidelines for an chemical oceanography course.

If suspended solid material of either organic or inorganic origin is excluded, sea water may be considered as an aqueous solution containing a variety of dissolved solids and gases.

This is a pie chart of the make-up of salts in seawater.

Nowadays, desalination has become a very affordable solution to cope with fresh water shortage typically in tropical as well as of off-shore areas.
The desalination core process is based on Reverse Osmosis Membrane technology, but stand alone, it doesn't provide safe drinking water, nor does it guarantee an efficient plant.

Intertek provides sea water composition and sediment sampling analysis to support various industries around the world, including offshore oil and gas. Services include sampling of the seawater column, sediment recovery and detailed analysis of water, sediment and fish tissue for trace heavy metals and organics for various chemicals and metals.

The composition of seawater can be divided into suspended (also called particulate) and dissolved materials.

This water quality criteria update provides scientific recommendations to states and tribes authorized to establish water quality standards under the Clean Water Act, to protect aquatic life from acute and chronic effects of ammonia in freshwater ecosystems. Under the CWA, states and tribes are to establish water quality criteria to protect designated uses. State and tribal decision makers retain the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that differ from those used in these criteria when appropriate. While this update constitutes United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientific recommendations regarding ambient concentrations of ammonia that protect freshwater aquatic life,

EPA's compilation of national recommended water quality criteria is presented as a summary table containing recommended water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life and human health in surface water for approximately 150 pollutants. These criteria are published pursuant to Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and provide guidance for states and tribes to use in adopting water quality standards.

Freshwater resources are an essential component of the earth's hydrosphere and an indispensable part of all terrestrial ecosystems. The freshwater environment is characterized by the hydrological cycle, including floods and droughts, which in some regions have become more extreme and dramatic in their consequences

Surface Water Classifications are designations applied to surface water bodies, such as streams, rivers and lakes, which define the best uses to be protected within these waters (for example swimming, fishing, drinking water supply) and carry with them an associated set of water quality standards to protect those uses. Surface water classifications are one tool that state and federal agencies use to manage and protect all streams, rivers, lakes, and other surface waters in North Carolina. Classifications and their associated protection rules may be designed to protect water quality, fish and wildlife, or other special characteristics. Each classification has associated standards that are used to determine if the designated uses are being protected.

Sewage treatment turns out to be a somewhat less nasty business than you probably thought. (Article from Scientific American)

Wastewater treatment is the process of treating wastewater prior to discharge into to a stream or municipal sewer. Wastewater is frequently required to be treated in order to meet set standards for levels of dissolved or suspended contaminants.

Wastewater is used water. It includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps and chemicals. In homes, this includes water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute their share of used water that must be cleaned. Wastewater also includes storm runoff. Although some people assume that the rain that runs down the street during a storm is fairly clean, it isn't. Harmful substances that wash off roads, parking lots, and rooftops can harm our rivers and lakes.