Concentrations of elements vary depending on the compartment of the environment that is under consideration. Thus, although the inputs of elements to the oceans are very large in absolute terms, the dilution is extremely high, leading to very low concentrations. This situation is generalised in Fig. 13.1. The consequences of low concentrations in the open oceans are that the possibilities for deficiency are high whereas those for toxicity are low (Mcgrath 1997). In rivers, wetlands and closed seas, where the dilution is lower, there can be accumulation of potentially toxic elements. Because of the low concentrations in open oceans, analytical methods for the determination of an element and its chemical species must have very low detection limits, and it is only in recent years that such methods have emerged.
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