Marine Mineral Resources
Mineral resources are included in the larger category of physical resources, along with petroleum and natural gas. Any deposited, accumlated, or precipitated minerals in the ocean that can be used by humans is considered a mineral resource. Although there are a variety or marine minerals useful to humans, only three are discussed here.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the third more prevalent marine mineral. Magnesium exists in the ocean in the form of magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate. It is chemically or electrically extracted from the water and is then used to make magnesium metal, used in airplanes and other structural applications. Half of all worldwide magnesium is extracted from the sea.
Salt
Salt pools in Southern San Francisco
When seawater evaporates, salts like calcium
carbonate, gypsum, and table salt are left behind. The evaporation process
uses large ponds that the operator controls from a central station. The
operator segregates the salts by shifting the brine from pond to pond at
the right time in the evaporation process. Magnesium salts are used to make
magnesium metal and magnesium compounds, potassium salts are turned into
chemicals and fertilizers, and bromine salts are used in medicines and chemical
processes.
Fresh water
A mere .017% of the earth's water is liquid, fresh, and easily avaliable for human consumption. Another .6% is groundwater within a half mile of the surface. One would think that with the scarcity of fresh water we would be more conscientious of human's effect on the supply. Yet so much of subterranean and surface water is polluted, contaminated, or otherwise dangerous that a liter of pure water can cost more than a gallon of gasoline (well, not in Marin. But let's not talk about gas prices in Marin). In an attempt to capitalize on the ocean, fresh water is being mined through desalinization.
The problem with desalinization is that it does not address the real issue, which is the permanent fouling by humans of all the water on earth. Rather it focuses on the resulting lack of drinking water, and tries to remedy the situation by making water that was once saline fresh. Some innovative thinkers are proving that there is a cheaper, cleaner, chemical free way to remove high strength waste from water-
| Salt Institute | Ocean Awareness | Ocean Voice International |
| Aquatic Network | Greenpeace | Brendan's Salmon Page |