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The ocean is the largest body of water in the world. Other than that fact, it also holds a lot of salt in the ocean water. But that’s what makes the ocean water different than other kinds of water. The saltiness of the ocean is what makes it special. However, is there any use in the ocean salinity? There definitely is. The ocean salinity is crucial to both marine creatures and the overall climate in the world. It controls most of the ocean currents as well. Below are the 13 Use of Salinity in Ocean that you can read to find out more. Increase your knowledge on why ocean saltiness is actually a main contributor in the inner working of the world.

Also read:

• Main Causes of Ocean Tides
• Impact of Global Warming on Marine Life
• Unique Characteristics of Indian Ocean

1. Maintain the World’s Natural Circulation

In our world, there is an important water circulation called as the hydrological cycle. This cycle is responsible for carrying water from the sea to the land or the land to the sea. Salinity in ocean affects this cycle due to its density. Salinity also affects thermohaline circulation. It helps to move cold currents circulating through the Atlantic Ocean up to the Indian Ocean.

2. Help Marine Plants Grow

Some plants cannot tolerate any level of salt that enters their bodies. These plants are often immediately stressed when exposed to salt. However, most plants in the ocean biome have coping mechanism while growing inside a body of water that contains salt. With the right amount of salinity, these plants thrive. Marine plants that need salt water include the Mangrove trees, Halophytes and kind of types of Algae.

3. Affects Weather

Salinity in ocean can affect the weather too. That is because salty water plays a major role in the ocean currents. There are so many impacts of ocean currents on climate. Moreover, the ocean salinity contributes to determining the rainfall patterns over a certain region in the world.

4. Keep Saltwater Creatures Alive

Similar to how salinity in ocean helps many species of marine plants to live, it also helps marine animals too. A lot of saltwater creatures need the right amount of salinity in the ocean. An example of this is simply the saltwater fish. Saltwater fish can only survive in the ocean because the cells inside their bodies automatically carry out osmosis. Salinity is a crucial factor in keeping the fish alive.

5. Has Lower Freezing Point

The salinity in ocean helps the water in the ocean to have higher freezing point. Unlike the freshwater that easily freezes, the saltwater doesn’t. Apparently the freezing temperature for saltwater is around -2° C. The more salt the ocean contains, the higher the freezing point is. This actually helps to maintain a stable ocean water condition.

6. Monitor Ocean’s Health

Through the salinity in ocean, scientists are able to monitor the ocean’s health. The increase and the decrease in the ocean salinity level can determine any unusual changes to the normal ocean state. Other than that, while monitoring the ocean’s health through salinity, scientists can also determine whether the could be significant changes in the climate pattern.

7. Locate Marine Creatures Habitat

This next use of salinity in ocean helps scientists determine ocean habitat. By studying the level salinity over a particular region, they can also observe what kind of creatures can thrive there. Through salinity, they can map out certain species in the ocean. Moreover, they can obtain more useful information on a specific characteristics of marine life.

8. Determine Salinity Patterns

Another use is for determining salinity pattern in the ocean. Scientists use their data on ocean salinity to determine salinity patterns. They can now map out the different salinity density on different regions of the waters in the world. For example, we can now know that the saltiest water in the world is in the North Atlantic. Moreover the Arabian Sea is actually saltier than the Bay of Bengal even though they are pretty close to each other.

9. Determine Water Density

Salinity in ocean helps to determine water density. The more salt there is in a specific water region, the denser the water usually is. Density is highly important in water as it helps in heat circulation and ocean currents.

10. To Tell Ocean Currents Directions

Since salinity affects water density, the density then determines the ocean currents. Density level and temperature combine to affect the currents in the ocean. They majorly contribute to the direction where the currents are going. Ocean currents may experience a reverse which often occurs in the Indian Ocean. You can learn more about the types of ocean current and the effects of ocean currents which are equally important.

11. Provide Drinking Water to Birds

Salinity in the ocean provide the right kind of drinking water to sea birds. The different types of ocean birds can safely drink saltwater. The saltwater will enter their bodies. Most of the salt are going to going to get released through the salt glands above their eyes.

12. Maintain Sea Level

This next use of salinity in ocean may have an impact on everything on earth. According to recent studies, salinity in ocean may actually affect sea level. The amount of salt in the ocean can either cause sea level changes. It may cause the sea level to drop or it may cause the sea level to rise. The effect of sea level rise could end up as a devastating disaster.

13. Forming Rocks

The salt in ocean is actually important in the rock formation under the ocean. Most sea water can seep through the seafloor. Once they are able to go through, the salt helps contribute to the rock composition under the ocean floor. That is why the destruction of ocean floor is a serious matter because the ocean floor filters through the material before the salt can fully pass through.

Indeed, there are so many uses to the ocean salinity. It provides a special condition for marine plants and animals. Moreover, it affects the way the water cycle in the world works. From knowing the salinity in the ocean, we can also keep an eye out on the ocean’s health. The ocean wellbeing is a very important aspect. A slight changes in the ocean salinity could mean a huge difference to everything that it going to affect.