Question: WHAT IS SALT WATER??
Answer: Water that contains a relatively high
percentage (over 0.5 parts per thousand)
of salt minerals.
Answer: Water that contains a relatively high
percentage (over 0.5 parts per thousand)
of salt minerals.
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SALT WATER IS USED IN MARINE AQUARIUMS.
ALSO KNOWN AS SEA WATER
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of
~3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand. This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35
grams of salts (mostly, but not entirely, sodium chloride) dissolved in it. The average density of
seawater at the surface of the ocean is 1.025 g/mL; seawater is denser than fresh water (which
reaches a maximum density of 1.000 g/mL at a temperature of 4°C) because of the added weight of
the salts and electrostriction.
Although the vast majority of seawater has a salinity of between 3.1 and 3.8%, seawater is not
uniformly saline throughout the world. Where mixing occurs with fresh water runoff from river
mouths or near melting glaciers, seawater can be substantially less saline. The most saline open sea
is the Red Sea, where high rates of evaporation, low precipitation and river inflow, and confined
circulation result in the formation of unusually salty seawater. The salinity in isolated seas and
salt-water lakes (for example, the Dead Sea) can be considerably greater.
The density of surface seawater ranges from about 1020 to 1029 kg·m-3, depending on the
temperature and salinity. Deep in the ocean, under high pressure, seawater can reach a density of
1050 kg·m-3 or higher. Seawater pH is limited to the range 7.5 to 8.4. The speed of sound in
seawater is about 1500 m·s-1, and varies with water temperature and pressure.
Seawater is more enriched in dissolved ions of all types than fresh water.
However, the ratios of various solutes differ dramatically. For instance, although seawater is ~2.8
times more enriched with bicarbonate than river water based on molarity, the percentage of
bicarbonate in seawater as a ratio of all dissolved ions is far lower than in river water; bicarbonate
ions constitute 48% of river water solutes, but only 0.41% of all seawater ions.
Differences like these are due to the varying residence times of seawater solutes; sodium and
chlorine have very long residence times, while calcium (vital for carbonate formation) tends to
precipitate out much more quickly.
~3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand. This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35
grams of salts (mostly, but not entirely, sodium chloride) dissolved in it. The average density of
seawater at the surface of the ocean is 1.025 g/mL; seawater is denser than fresh water (which
reaches a maximum density of 1.000 g/mL at a temperature of 4°C) because of the added weight of
the salts and electrostriction.
Although the vast majority of seawater has a salinity of between 3.1 and 3.8%, seawater is not
uniformly saline throughout the world. Where mixing occurs with fresh water runoff from river
mouths or near melting glaciers, seawater can be substantially less saline. The most saline open sea
is the Red Sea, where high rates of evaporation, low precipitation and river inflow, and confined
circulation result in the formation of unusually salty seawater. The salinity in isolated seas and
salt-water lakes (for example, the Dead Sea) can be considerably greater.
The density of surface seawater ranges from about 1020 to 1029 kg·m-3, depending on the
temperature and salinity. Deep in the ocean, under high pressure, seawater can reach a density of
1050 kg·m-3 or higher. Seawater pH is limited to the range 7.5 to 8.4. The speed of sound in
seawater is about 1500 m·s-1, and varies with water temperature and pressure.
Seawater is more enriched in dissolved ions of all types than fresh water.
However, the ratios of various solutes differ dramatically. For instance, although seawater is ~2.8
times more enriched with bicarbonate than river water based on molarity, the percentage of
bicarbonate in seawater as a ratio of all dissolved ions is far lower than in river water; bicarbonate
ions constitute 48% of river water solutes, but only 0.41% of all seawater ions.
Differences like these are due to the varying residence times of seawater solutes; sodium and
chlorine have very long residence times, while calcium (vital for carbonate formation) tends to
precipitate out much more quickly.
