What is Salinity of an Ocean?
Salinity simply refers to the degree of saltiness or concentration of salt solution in oceans.
Sea water contains mineral salts, the main ones being sodium chloride, calcium bi-carbonate – which provide marine organisms with calcium carbonate (essential for the formation of shells and bones), magnesium chloride and magnesium sulphate.
The degree of saltiness varies from ocean to ocean and it is often measured in parts per thousand grammes. The average salinity of the ocean is 35 grammes for every 1000 grammes of water.
In maps, all oceans having the same degree or amount of saltiness are often joined together with a line called ‘Isohaline’.
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