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: 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: Thermohaline Circulation
Thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in temperature and salinity, as opposed to circulation driven by wind. Understanding patterns of water movement may be crucial to better understanding global climate and climate change.
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...