An ocean is a large body of saline water that covers over 70% of the Earth's surface. The main constituents of seawater are water, salts, and dissolved gases. The salts in seawater are primarily sodium chloride (table salt), along with other minerals such as magnesium, sulfate, and calcium.
When two bodies of water come together, they can mix and create a gradient in salinity where the water from each body blends together. This is known as a halocline. One example of this is when freshwater from a river flows into the ocean, creating a layer of less salty water at the surface.
Salinity in seawater is a measure of the concentration of dissolved salts in the water. It is usually expressed in parts per thousand (ppt) or in practical salinity units (psu). The formula to calculate salinity is:
Salinity (ppt) = (weight of dissolved salts / weight of seawater) x 1000
References:
- Ocean salinity: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/whysalinity.html
- Salinity formula: https://www.britannica.com/science/salinity#ref282122
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What is ocean and its constituents? Explain interms of 2 bodies of water come together? Define salinity in sea water and give formula to calculate salinity
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