Do you know that the quantity of dissolved salts in sea water is almost four times what is present in the human body?Have you ever noticed that drinking salty water from the sea or an ocean does not quench your thirst? If anything, it makes you feel even thirstier than before, but why?According to experts, the concentration of salt inside the human body is almost one-fourth of what is present in sea water. Consuming considerable quantities of sea water will increase the level concentration of salt in your blood. As a result, you will start feeling more dehydrated after consuming sea water as compared to if you would not have had any water at all. Therefore, no matter what happens, do not ever resort to drinking sea water as it can lead to serious health issues in the long run.Read on to know more about the properties of salty ocean water and salty sea water. Afterward, also check out 100+ best water jokes that will make a splash and 85 best ocean quotes to inspire you.Why do oceans have salt water?There is plenty of water on Earth but a major portion of the water on the planet is saline. If we were to go by some interesting estimates, we would learn that if all the salts in the ocean are extracted and spread evenly, it would form quite the layer of 500 ft (166 m) in thickness. If you are unable to decipher the thickness, let us tell you that 545 ft (166 m) of salt would equal the height of a 40-story skyscraper.This shows the humongous amount of salt present in oceans.The moot question is why is the ocean salty, and where do these salts come from? A simple explanation for this question could be that rain erodes rocks, and these eroded rocks eventually make their way into our seas and oceans via rivers. The water becomes salty due to this process, which produces sodium chloride (salts).A more sophisticated answer can be traced through two primary sources of salt in the ocean. There are two primary sources of salts in the sea, and they are as follows:Runoff from the land: Rainwater becomes acidic due to carbon dioxide that is dissolved from the surrounding air. Whenever it rains, stones or rocks are eroded and are chemically broken down. This results in the release of ions that are taken away by streams and river water and eventually these ions meet in the ocean. A wide variety of ocean species use these dissolved ions and then these ions are taken out of the water. Others aren’t taken away, so their concentration enhances with the passage of time.Chloride and sodium are two kinds of ions present in the ocean. Sodium and chloride together form salt in water. These two ions, sodium and chloride, constitute a major chunk of all the ions that are dissolved in the ocean and thus contribute heavily to the high salt content in seawater. The combination of sodium and chloride is called table salt. Magnesium is also present in seawater. After sodium, it is the most commonly found mineral in oceans. Dissolved minerals like sodium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, bromine, and potassium compounds are extracted from seawater.Openings in the seafloor: Besides runoff from the land, hydrothermal vents or vents on the ocean floor are yet another reason for salty ocean water. In the marine environment, magma from the Earth’s core heats ocean water when it seeps into fissures in the bottom. A variety of chemical reactions are triggered by heat. The metals are carried away by the hot water when discharged from vents in the seafloor.Some ocean salts and hydrothermal fluids are also formed by undersea volcanic eruptions that release dissolved minerals directly into the sea.Which ocean has the saltiest water?Salinity drops significantly at the equator and in both poles. There are very different reasons for such a decline in salinity.The most saline ocean out of the five oceans is the Atlantic Ocean.Is the ocean 100% salt water?A ratio of salt in pound to gallon or gram to liter of water explains the salinity of seawater.Now that we know that seas are usually made up of saltwater, it is a surprise that not all seawater is salty.While the Atlantic Ocean crosses the limit of the normal range of ocean salinity between 0.275-0.308 ppg (33-37 gpl), the Caspian Sea is far below the range of salinity. It is not to say that the Caspian Sea contains freshwater, but its salty water is diluted mainly by freshwater input, particularly towards the north. Similarly, other oceans have low salinity compared to the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, it goes on to show that not 100% of ocean water is salty.Did You Know…About 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by oceans, and out of the total amount of water present on Earth, nearly 97% of water is saline. It implies that merely 2.5% of water is freshwater. Out of this 2.5%, merely 0.3% of water is in liquid form on the surface. It is this 0.3% of the water that the entire world drinks.70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, but have you ever wondered why oceans appear blue? All oceans in the world reflect blue light. That is why Earth appears blue from space and is often called the blue planet.Water from the sea is toxic for human consumption. Drinking seawater means a heavy consumption of salt. While our body can digest small amounts of sea salt, the content of salt in seawater is too much to be digested by the human body easily. In order to do away with the excess salt present in the body, the body produces urine. To dilute the salt present in the body, you also need freshwater. However, when there is too much salt in the body, your kidneys will not be able to dilute it with freshwater, and the body will fail due to dehydration as you will only grow thirstier. These disadvantages do not make saltwater fit for human consumption.There are many drawbacks of saltwater, but there is much evidence to show that seawater helps with some skin conditions. Ocean water is considered to be good for skin as it is antiseptic. Seawater is also used for aquaculture, agriculture, and cosmetics.We must always be mindful of how we use our freshwater and how we treat our bodies of water. Drinking safe, fresh water is the most basic survival requirement for a human; safeguarding water is, therefore, the need of the hour. Effective mechanisms can be developed to make use of saltwater by desalination. Desalination through distillation or osmosis could be one of the effective ways. Yet the goal of converting seawater to potable drinking water is elusive, the process is expensive, and there is a lack of will among people.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for salt water ocean, then why not take a look at French Riviera facts, or French cuisine facts.
Do you know that the quantity of dissolved salts in sea water is almost four times what is present in the human body?
