Introduction

The concrete structures built in marine conditions are always exposed to seawater either directly or
indirectly. The coastal and offshore structures are always in contact with seawater and there are
number of physical and chemical deterioration processes takes place. So, Concrete structures effected
by seawater requires special attention.

Composition of Seawater
The 71% of earth’s surface is covered by water bodies and in which nearly 96.5% is covered by
seawater only. So, large number of concrete structures effected by concrete either with direct contact
or indirectly by the winds carrying seawater sprays.

Generally seawater contains 3.5 per cent of soluble slats by weight. The ionic concentration of Na+
and Cl- are maximum in seawater, normally 11,000 and 20,000 mg/lit respectively. Seawater also
contains Mg2+ and SO42- about 1400 and 2700 mg/li respectively. The pH of seawater fluctuates
between 7.5 and 8.4. The average pH is taken about 8.2. Seawater also contains some amount of CO 2.
If higher concentration of CO2 dissolved in seawater then the pH may fall below 7.5. The following
table gives you the major ions concentration in some of the famous world seas.