The Human Factor and Sea Water

It has long been established that the makeup of human blood bears a haunting resemblance to that of sea water.

Is this a reminder that probably all of intelligent animal life originated in the ocean with the arrival of the first true amphibians, or is it a complete coincidence? The latter seems unlikely.

One of the most baffling questions in modern science is why the oceans maintain an almost constant composition, including every element known to man. And these proportions never seem to change. In enclosed trap basins such as the Dead Sea or Salt Lake, the proportions of salts and minerals due to runoff from the surrounding mountains increase daily, but this doesn't happen in the ocean.

Oceanographers studying old sedimentary rocks conclude that the basic composition of the ocean hasn't changed over the past 700 million years.

The reason for this may be explained biologically. According to an article by Steve Olson in a recent issue of Science 82, Olson says that "When river-borne minerals mix with seawater, they are chemically transformed into ocean floor sediments. Chemical activity at the extremely hot vents found around mid-ocean ridges takes some elements out of seawater and puts others in. In the makeup of the ocean, life has its role--it acts as a central point through which many chemical systems pass, forming an interdependent system and stabilizing the composition of the ocean."

Although we understand these processes very little, there may be a risk in our ignorance. If we continue to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels, we could conceivably change the balance of marine life, and ultimately, our own.