The latest solar atmosphere models include non-LTE corrections and 3D hydrodynamic convection simulations .
These models predict a significant reduction in the solar metal abundance , which in turn leads to a serious conflict between helioseismic data and the predictions of solar interiors models .
We demonstrate that the helioseismic constraints on the surface convection zone depth and helium abundance combined with stellar interiors models can be used to define the goodness of fit rigorous for a given chemical composition .
After a detailed examination of the errors in the theoretical models we conclude that models constructed with the older and higher solar abundances are consistent ( within 2 \sigma ) with the seismic data .
However , models constructed with the proposed new low abundance scale are strongly disfavored , disagreeing at the 15 \sigma level .
We then use the sensitivity of the seismic properties to abundance changes to invert the problem and infer a seismic solar heavy element abundance mix with two components : meteoritic abundances , and the light metals CNONe .
Seismic degeneracies between the best solutions for the elements arise for changes in the relative CNONe abundances and their effects are quantified .
We obtain Fe / H = 7.50 + / -0.045 + / -0.003 ( CNNe ) and O / H = 8.86 + / -0.041 + / -0.025 ( CNNe ) on the logarithmic scale where H = 12 for the relative CNNe mixtures in the GS98 mixture ; the second error term reflects the uncertainty in the overall abundance scale from errors in the C , N , and Ne abundances relative to oxygen .
These are consistent within the errors with the previous standard solar mixture .
However , the inferred solar oxygen abundance is in strong conflict with the low oxygen abundance inferred from the 3D hydro models .
Changes in the Ne abundance can mimic changes in oxygen for the purposes of scalar constraints .
However , models constructed with low oxygen and high neon are inconsistent with the solar sound speed profile .
The implications for the solar abundance scale are discussed .