Lithium (Li)

Atomic number: 3
Atomic weight: 6.941
Average concentration in ocean: 25.9 µmol/kg
Residence time: 2,800,000 years

Distribution in ocean
Li has a conservative distribution in the ocean that varies primarily due to differences in evaporation or precipitation in the water that sank to form intermediate or deep waters in the sea (data).

Speciation
Lithium exists in seawater as the Li+ ion.

Residence time
The lithium residence time was calculated from the global average river input (Stoffyn-Egli and MaKenzie, 1984).

Analysis
Lithium can be determined by flame photometry or atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

References