Boron: Geochemical Tracer

                                                                      Sea Water: Sea Salts 

Average boron concentration: ~4.4–4.8 mg/L (as elemental boron) in open ocean seawater

 Role in Ocean Chemistry

• pH Buffering: Borate is the second most important buffer system in seawater after the carbonate system.
  Helps stabilize ocean pH by reacting with hydrogen ions.

• Marine Life: Boron is needed in trace amounts by some algae and marine organisms.

• Geochemical Tracer: Used in paleoclimate studies because boron isotope ratios (δ¹¹B) in marine carbonates reflect ancient ocean pH.

                        Boron Isotopes: Geochemical Tracer Reflecting Ancient Ocean pH

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