[coolkul]

This is a homework question from my environmental chem class, but it's related to gen chem.

Assume that algae need carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous in the ratios 106:16:1.
What is the limiting nutrient in a lake that contains the following concentrations:
total C = 24mg/L, total N = 1.2 mg/L and total P = 0.15 mg/L?

I think the answer is phosphorous, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to show this. I'm assuming that it's like a regular gen chem limiting reactant type of problem but I don't know how I get from density (mg/L) to mass in grams and then moles. Could someone help me out with this?

[Borek]

mg/L is not a density, it is concentration.

[coolkul]

figured it out, I just assumed that we are using 1L of lake water and I just calculated the moles of each element