Ocean+Salinity+-+Casey+and+Rachel+-+PINK+class

=Ocean Salinity= by: Casey and Rachel

97% of earth's water is salt water. For the most part places with warmer water have a higher average salinity than places with colder water. This is because in warmer water the molecules are more active and able to disolve more salt, however there are many exceptions.

Some places where there is high salinity:

 * the Red Sea
 * The Dead Sea
 * The Meditteranean Sea
 * The Great Salt Lakes

Some places where there is low salinity:

 * near the equator
 * river deltas
 * near melting ice



How Does Salt Change the Properties of Water?

 * salt raises the boiling point of water
 * salt increases water's density

=Measuring Salinity=
 * using evaporation = slow and innacurate
 * using electrical conductivity (the light bulb experement)
 * it measures the amount of disolved salt in the water
 * a greater amount of salt causes the electrical current to flow more easily
 * the conductivity goes up as the salinity of the water goes up

Where does the Salt in Salt Water Come From?

 * the salt in salt water comes from land

Water Salinity

 * the average salinity of ocean water is 35 parts per 1000 parts of salt water
 * in deeper ocean waters the salinity is about 35 parts per 1000
 * near the surface the salinity is between 33-37 parts per 1000

Resources:
http://www.aquaworldnet.com/awmag/images/salfigen.gif - natural sea water composition bar graph ocean salinity notes- 4/11/07 salinity lab http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data/FS_km5000.gif - ocean salinity around the world picture Earth Science textbook pages: 280-281