Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. The term salinity describes the level of different salts e.g. sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulphates etc dissolved in water. Sea water has strong salinity due to its higher dissolved salts content. On an average, seawater has a salinity of about 3.5% (or 35 g/L). Sea water has almost all type of salts and other materials dissolved in it. This includes dissolved materials from Earth’s crust as well as materials released from biosphere (from living organisms). Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) can have dramatic effects on the water cycle and ocean circulation.
Salinity is expressed by the amount of salt found in 1,000 grams of water e.g. 1 gram of salt in 1,000 grams of water; the salinity is 1 part per thousand, or 1 ppt. The graph below shows the proportions of salts in sea water;
Why does sea water have variation in salinity?
Evaporation against precipitation: The relative amount of evaporation or precipitation in an area causes variations in ocean salinity. If there is more evaporation than precipitation, then the salinity increases; considering the fact that salts are not evaporated into the atmosphere along with water. If there is more precipitation than evaporation then the salinity decreases. As per the analysis of the GPCP version 2 data set (NASA Earth Science Applications Directorate), for the period 1979 to 1999, high precipitation was observed in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ), and the storm tracks in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Low precipitation was observed in the Polar Regions and in the subtropics of the East Pacific, East Atlantic, and the Southeast and Northwest Indian Ocean.Hence high precipitation regions like ITCZ, SPTZ and the storm tracks in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have low salinity as compared to the regions where low precipitation occurs.
Large rivers meeting Oceans: When large rivers meet the oceans, they change the salinity of water. Large rivers have more impacts on the sea water salinity as compared to the smaller rivers and streams. The runoff from the smaller streams and rivers is quickly mixed with ocean water by the currents and has little effect on salinity and in other hand, large rivers e.g. Nile, Amazon, Ganges, etc considerably affect the salinity due to its little or no salt content.
Thawing of large icebergs: Out of 3% freshwater available on earth, 67% is stored in glaciers, icebergs and ice caps. Large icebergs that are made up of frozen fresh water and without any salts can decrease the salinity of the ocean water upon melting in the ocean water.
The distribution of Salinity across the oceans: As per the information by NASA Science (EARTH), ‘highest concentrations (which is about 37 practical salinity units) of salt water are present the mid-Atlantic Ocean and lower-Atlantic off the coast of Brazil, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Lower concentrations are found near the Arctic and Antarctic and the coastal regions of East Asia and western North America’.
Why is it important?
Salinity affects seawater density, which in turn governs ocean circulation and climate. We know that the wind drives upper ocean currents, however ocean current can also flow deep below the surface. These deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the sea water density. As sea water density is controlled by temperature and salinity, these factors make the oceans very dynamic in nature. The term thermohaline circulation (THC) (thermo– temperature and haline – salt content) refers to a part of the large-scale ocean current circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and salinity of the sea water. The thermohaline circulation is also known as the Ocean conveyor belt.
The Ocean Conveyor Belt is the principal mechanism by which the oceans store and transport heat. Since salinity is a key ingredient in the global thermohaline circulation, its measured value will help to discover how its variation induces change in global ocean circulation. Salinity is a major factor in ocean and atmospheric science because it affects the ocean currents that further control the climate of the planet.
References;
http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/02ocean/swcomposition.htm
http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/physical-ocean/salinity/
http://www-pord.ucsd.edu/~ltalley/papers/2000s/wiley_talley_salinitypatterns.pdf
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The climate is phenomenal complex, there's thousands upon thousands of components all interacting with each other. It's this complex series of interactions that leads to a seemingly paradoxical situation.The points you mentioned are quite accurate. Ocean levels are rising (by 3.2mm a year) and precipitation has increased (by about 5% globally). With more precipitation you'd have though there would be less drought.What's actually happening is pretty much the same as has always happened. The equatorial regions witness the greatest evapouration from the seas and oceans and the winds spiralling away from these regions carry the precipitation to the more northerly and southerly latitudes. If you ramp up this process by putting more energy into the system (ie global warming) you accelerate and intensify what's happening more evapouration and more rain but falling in the maritime, polar and temperate zones.The matter is further compounded by a warming of the climate in already arid zones. What water exists here is more readily evapourated by the warmer atmosphere and intensified sunlight, there isn't enough for saturation vapour pressure to be reached (the point at which it can precipitates) so the moisture is carried away from these hot areas and dumped as rain, snow etc in other parts of the world.In short, the already wet places get wetter and the dry places get drier. This is happening now in many countries around the world, most notably in Africa and Asia where vast tracts of land have been desertified forcing millions permenantly from their homes.Caveat: The above is an overly simplified version of what's happening, the reality is far more complex and many more component factors are involved.
Yeah...Earth's climate is based on several parameters.
Thanks Mahmoud for your views on it.
Wonderful information. I rarely had this information before. Also wants to know more about energy generation using the phenomena of sea water salinity
very good information thnks it is very useful for me and others also thnks:)
I am really concerned about climate change and its effects in the world. I am happy that we have people who are also fighting towards safe guarding our planet EARTH. Am actually pursuing NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT and AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES at EARTH university but am thinking of majoring in natural resource management in fighting for our planet EARTH that we share as a home. Am motivated by you great people. Hope this motivates other young generations coming up too.