Everyone must know how does sea water taste like. Of course, it tastes salty. There are natural processes that influences it. In this case, nature contributes to the taste of sea water, for instance, the land in the sea, air, pH level, rainfall and so on. That’s why sea water tastes salty and unpleasant. Hence differences between sea and ocean based on the segments.
We will explain about the sources that provides salt to the sea. Some natural and other factors can cause saltiness to sea water. The following are some explanations regarding the reasons why sea water is salty:
1. Rainwater
Rainwater that passes through the land and rocks will carry minerals and bring them to the sea. The salt content in river water that flows into the sea is only a very small portion compared to salt in the sea. To make the annual salt content of river water flowing into the sea with the same salt content in seawater, it takes around 200-300 million years. This process of hundreds of years is one of the reasons why sea water has become salty until now. These are the processes of continents and Ocean formation.
2. The phenomenon of the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea
Both are saltwater lakes that are 10 times saltier than seawater. Why are these two lakes saltier than most other lakes in the world? The lake is generally a temporary water stop before being taken out by another river. In the case of these two salted lakes, there are many rivers that get into the sea which make the sea saltier. Remember, that the salt content in river water is very small, but it will still be felt when all the rivers gather at a point. This is the reasons why sea water is always salty.
3. Hydrothermal ventilation
Other factor that causes it is hydrothermal ventilation, a fissure on the hot sea floor which causes water to dissolve more minerals and then return it back to the sea. Another factor is underwater volcano, the same system, where the heat causes water to dissolve more minerals. Whenever water intersects with rocks both on land and sea, some minerals in the rock dissolve and carry water into the sea.
The salt content in water in seawater will not change because new minerals form on the seabed equal to the amount of salt that increases. So that the salt content in the sea always remains stable from time to time. The differences in the sea and ocean based on the segments.
4. Salt
These remaining mineral salts make sea water salty, so the salinity of every seawater is different. But it is certain that seawater will always taste salty or has fairly high salinity. Apart from the reasons above, there are several other reasons why sea water is salty. For example, the Dead Sea in Israel, where the temperature is quite hot so that the evaporation carried out is greater and, of course, causing the level of ocean acidity becomes higher. If the salt content of seawater is usually at point 0, the level of the dead sea is around 30% higher.
5. Seawater Flow
This makes seawater increasingly salty and also 9 times higher salinity. Often clouds obtained from dead sea vapors blow and shift so that they fall and flow to other countries or other ocean currents. Given the wide range of clouds and depending on the wind, some surrounding countries will also be affected by the dead sea and salinity will be high or up. That is the reasons why sea water is salty. Hence the characteristics of Ocean Biome and the explanation.
6. Land
Actually saltiness from the sea can also be affected by land, for example, if there is rain on land and water will enter the soil little by little. When the land is full and outside the reservoir, the water will gradually come out through the river and finally to the sea. This water flow is not as big as river water or rain, but when water enters the land and flows into the sea.
The land contains quite a lot of salt and also minerals that can affect the taste of seawater. Factors that affect the salt content of seawater are quite a lot. Seawater has salinity because the earth is filled with mineral salts, especially in the rocks and also in the soil. But the salt in question mixes with other hidden ingredients. So you can’t immediately see or feel it.
7. Nutrition in the sea
Nutrition in the sea could be sodium, potassium, calcium, and so on. If river water flows into the ocean and carries the salt, the sea waves that hit the water of the beach produce a formation like crystals or rocks. Collisions and temperature differences make some non-water materials become formed and crystallize. Over time the sea water becomes salty because it contains a lot of salt and you can pull it into harvest salt for salt entrepreneurs. The level of Salinity in The Ocean will make you shocked.
7. Stacking of Sea Salt Substances
Seawater tastes salty because of the build up of mineral salts in the sea. Seawater has an average salt content of 3.5%. This means that in 1 liter (1000 mL) of seawater, there are 35 grams of salt (especially salt / NaCl, though not all).
8. The mineral accumulates in seawater
Then, how is the process that causes the mineral accumulates in seawater. When precipitation occurs or is commonly called rain, water will go down to the land flowing through the river or absorbed through the soil. When flowing, mineral salts that reside in rocks in the river or in the soil erode or are carried away by water which empties into the beach.
9. Evaporated
On the beach, some of the water is evaporated. When there is evaporation, only water (H2O) evaporates while mineral salts settle in the ocean. Mineral salts do not evaporate because these minerals have boiling points that are much higher than water. The evaporation process of H2O and the deposition of minerals occur repeatedly so that mineral salts that settle in the sea become very large and cause sea water taste salty. The effects of acid rain on Ocean that you should know.
10. Rocks And Temperature
In addition to that, the mineral can also come from broken rocks due to the brunt of the sea waves. The accumulated mineral deposits eventually carry waves to the shore. That’s why seawater, especially the one on the beach, feels very salty. The level of salinity of seawater itself is influenced by temperature factors, usually the hotter the area the saltwater is salty.
Here are another reasons why Sea Water taste Salty:
- Freshwater intake and mixing of water, as with too salty solutions, one way to neutralize it is to add fresh water into it, so over time, the salt content will decrease. In the case of salt content in the sea, fresh water can come from rain, river or swamp water, and also from ice that melts in the polar regions. This happened to the Dead Sea and the Black Sea. The Dead Sea with very high salinity because basically, the Dead Sea is a salty lake. The most complete eight characteristics of the Pacific Ocean.
- As with too salty solutions, one way to neutralize it is to add fresh water into it, so over time, the salt content will decrease. In the case of salt content in the sea, fresh water can come from rain, river or swamp water, and also from ice that melts in the polar regions. This happened to the Dead Sea and the Black Sea. The Dead Sea with very high salinity because basically, the Dead Sea is a salty lake.
- The lake is not connected to the ocean but, because the volume of water in the Dead Sea has fallen far enough so that the surface is visible, an estuary connects the Dead Sea to the Black Sea. This is also to neutralize the salt levels that are too high in the Dead Sea. The salt content of seawater changes due to the addition and reduction of water molecules through the process of evaporation and rain. Hence the effects of natural disasters on the Ocean that can cause harm.
- Salinity increases when the rate of evaporation in an area is greater than rain. Vice versa. Conditions depend on the latitude of an area and the change of seasons. This pattern can be seen in areas with latitude between 20 ° and 30 ° north and south of the equator. The area will have waters with higher salinity than its surroundings because the rate of evaporation in the area is greater than the amount of water received during rain.
Now you know how is the process of saltiness from sea water. It is not salty at first but nature activity does contribute to the saltiness of the sea. Hopefully, it can improve your knowledge and insights about the world of marine life.