Variations in the Nd isotopic composition of ocean water through time, recorded in marine deposits, are suggested to document changes in erosional input and ocean circulation. Thus characterization of the dissolved Nd component in seawater is important. But few attempts have been made to directly measure truly dissolved Nd. Here we report Nd data, obtained using the technique of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) designed to measure in situ, diffusible labile trace metals in aqueous solutions. The method samples free ions and possibly very small complexes. The concentration and isotopic composition of Nd in fresh, brackish and seawater have been determined with DGT, analyzed with thermal ionization mass-spectrometry, and compared with filtered and bulk water samples. Concentrations measured in water samples and with DGT show that the relative amount of diffusible Nd increases with salinity, from being about 10% in the fresh water to 42% in seawater. At each sampled site, the isotopic composition of Nd in the water shows a similar isotopic composition, within errors, with Nd sampled using the DGT method. These results indicate that there is a complete exchange between the particulate/colloidal fraction and the truly dissolved phase. Therefore our findings suggest that solute Nd reflects both the isotopic composition of the marine sediments and the bulk water. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.