Water: The Lifeblood of the Earth-Human System Seen through

Elemental Correlations
Zimeng Wang (王梓萌)1*, Yongsheng Liu (刘勇胜)2, Anhuai Lu (鲁安怀)3, and Yanxin Wang (王焰新)4

1
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University; Shanghai 200433, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, School of Earth Sciences, China

University of Geosciences; Wuhan, 430078, China

3
Beijing Key Laboratory of Mineral Environmental Function, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking

University; Beijing 100871, China

4
MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Quality and Health, State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of

Source Apportionment and Control of Aquatic Pollution, School of Environmental Studies, China University of

Geosciences; Wuhan, Hubei 430078, China

*Corresponding author: zimengw@fudan.edu.cn

Supplementary Materials

Complied the average concentration of elements in different environmental and biological media.

Cite this paper as

Wang, Z. et al. Water: The Lifeblood of the Earth-Human System Seen through Elemental
Correlations SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences 2023, xx. xx
 Crust Soil Seawater River Body Blood MCL
Li 20 40 0.17 0.00184 0.11 0.004 0.7
Be 2.6 6 0.0000002 0.0000089 0.56 0.00001 0.004
B 10 20 4 0.0102 0.29 0.13 0.5
C 480 28 258000
F 950 150-400 1.3 0.0005 72.6 0.5 2
Na 23000 10500 1610 3500
Mg 23000 5 1200 4 403 38
5000-
Al 82000 0.0005 0.032 0.968 0.4 0.2
100000
Si 280000 1 5 16.1 4 100
P 1000 0.65 0.03 0.115 12600 345 1
S 260 870 8.7 2260 1800 250
Cl 130 50-2000 18000 100 1530 3000 250
K 21000 14 380 2020 400
Ca 41000 15000 400 19300 61
Sc 16 7 0.0000006 0.0012 0.0032 0.008
Ti 5600 3300 0.001 0.000489 11.3 0.05 0.1a
0.00002-
V 160 100 0.0015 0.00071 0.32 0.05
0.0009
Cr 100 50 0.00024 0.0007 0.024 0.006-0.1 0.1
Mn 1000 440 0.01 0.034 0.19 0.05
Fe 41000 30000 0.0025 0.066 64.5 415 0.3
Co 20 8 0.000001 0.000148 0.024 0.0002-0.02
Ni 80 20 0.0005 0.000801 0.24 0.01-0.05 0.1
Cu 50 20 0.0002 0.00148 1.13 1 1.3
Zn 75 64 0.03 0.0006 40.3 7 5
Ga 18 28 0.00003 0.00003 0.016 0.1
Ge 2 1 0.0000005 0.0000068 0.08 0.4
As 1.5 5 0.0016 0.00062 0.11 0.005 0.01
Se 0.05 5 0.0002 0.00007 0.22 0.11 0.05
Br 0.4 20 65 4.19 5
Rb 90 140 0.1 0.00163 10.9 2.5
Sr 370 200 8 0.06 5.16 4a
Y 30 23 0.000009 0.00004
Nb 20 24 0.0000009 0.0000017 0.024 0.005
Mo 1.5 2 0.01 0.00042 0.081 0.001 0.04
Pd 0.0006 0.03 0.00000004 0.000028
Ag 0.07 0.5 0.0000001 0.0003b 0.032 0.003 0.1
Cd 0.1 1 0.0001 0.00008 0.32 0.000005 0.05
In 0.1 0.01 0.0000001 0.006
Sn 2 1 0.000004 0.48 0.4
Sb 0.2 1 0.0003 0.00007 0.032 0.006
 I 0.14 3 0.06 0.06
Cs 3 0.005 0.0003 0.000011 0.097 0.004
Ba 500 500 0.015 0.023 0.35 0.07 2
La 32 26 0.000005 0.00012
Ce 68 50 0.0015 0.000262 0.64 0.001
Pr 9.5 8 0.000001 0.00004
Nd 38 20 0.000004 0.000152
Sm 8 5 0.0000008 0.000036 0.00081 0.008
Eu 2 1.2 0.0000002 0.0000098
Gd 8 6 0.0000012 0.00004
Tb 1 0.0007 0.0000002 0.0000055
Dy 6 5 0.000001 0.00003
Ho 1.4 1 0.0000004 0.0000071
Er 4 1.6 0.0000008 0.00002
Tm 0.5 0.5 0.00000025 0.0000033
Yb 3 2 0.0000015 0.000017
Lu 0.5 0.3 0.0000003 0.0000024
Hf 5.3 5 0.00000007 0.0000059
Ta 2 0.002 0.000002 0.0000011 0.0032
W 1 1-2.5 0.00009 0.0001 0.001
Re 0.0005 0.000004 0.0000004
Au 0.001 0.001 0.00001 0.0032 0.001-0.04
Hg 0.05 0.0005 0.00004 0.000005 0.097 0.008 0.002c
Tl 0.6 0.3 0.00001 0.00001b 0.0081 0.0005 0.002
Pb 14 23 0.000002 0.000079 1.94 0.2 0.015
Bi 0.048 0.25 0.0004 0.0081 0.016
Th 12 11 0.00001 0.041 0.64 0.0002
U 2 0.7-11 0.003 0.000372 0.0016 0.0005 0.03
DOC 10.4 2
TDS 118 500
The average concentration of elements in different environmental and biological media (in mg/kg, ppm). The
data of Crust, Soil, Seawater, Body and Blood were collected from Nature's building blocks: an AZ guide to the
elements (Emsley, 2011), the assumed average body weight was set 62 kg; the data of MCL (maximum contamination
levels for various elements in drinking water) were from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the data of River
were from Trace elements in river waters (Gaillardet et al., 2003).
a. No enforced MCL yet, only proposed values
b. Based on sparse datapoints, use with caution
c. Only inorganic mercury here

References
Emsley, J. 2011. Nature's building blocks: an AZ guide to the elements. Oxford University Press.
Gaillardet, J., Viers, J. and Dupré, B. 2003. Trace elements in river waters. Treatise Geochem, 5: 225-272.