Its in the Water: Measuring Salinity
Efforts to measure salinity have long been a fundamental part of chemical oceanography. At one time, this was done by simply weighing the salt. Then, for years, salinity was determined based on the concentration of chloride. Today, salinity is measu...
Its in the Water: Ocean and Carbon Dioxide, The
The exchange of gasses, like carbon dioxide, is a critical aspect of the ongoing and dynamic interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. Scientists are very interested in the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide that mankind's activities m...
Its in the Water: Water's Chemical Structure
Water's unique chemical structure gives it much higher freezing and boiling points than would otherwise be the case. This has a great deal to do with Earth being as hospitable to life as it is. That same chemical structure also gives water exception...
Its in the Water: Salinity, Density, and Temperature
Obtaining accurate salinity measurements is vitally important because salt, along with temperature, has a significant impact on the density of seawater. And this, in turn, greatly affects ocean structure and circulation.
Its in the Water: Seawater, Freshwater and Salt
While both seawater and freshwater contain a wide array of minerals and other constituents, the amount of salt in seawater is generally greater than in any other large body of standing water. There are a number of ways in which salt is added to seaw...
Deep Connections: Tracers
A tracer is a property or substance that can be used to track the movement of individual water masses. While the utility of specific tracers varies according to the locale and circumstance, tracers as a group provide a rich source of information ab...
Dirty Water: Marine Absorption of Carbon Dioxide
Many scientists believe that the greenhouse gas problem would be far worse today if the ocean didn't absorb as much carbon dioxide as it does. Some in the scientific community are looking into the feasibility of increasing the amount of carbon dioxi...