Answer :
Final answer:
The average salinity of seawater in the ocean today is 35 ppt.
Explanation:
The average salinity of seawater in the ocean today is 35 ppt.
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Final answer:
The average salinity of seawater in the ocean today is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt). Salinity is key for studying ocean conditions and affects marine organisms, with a typical range of 32-37.5 ppt across the oceans.
Explanation:
The average salinity of seawater in the ocean today is approximately 35 parts per thousand (ppt). Salinity refers to the concentration of salts in water and is a crucial parameter in the study of oceanography. The salinity of ocean water is typically expressed in g/kg or ppm, with 35 g/kg being equivalent to 35,000 ppm. This standard measure is consistent across various sources and is used to define the saltiness of seawater.
In marine environments such as estuaries, salinity can vary significantly due to the mixing of seawater with freshwater. In contrast, bodies of water like the Dead Sea have extremely high salinities because of high evaporation rates and limited water circulation. Despite these variations, the ocean's salinity is surprisingly stable, with a narrow range of 32-37.5 ppt. The constant ratio of different ions in seawater is remarkable, reflecting a consistent relative ionic composition that facilitates the determination of total salinity from chloride concentration measurements.
It is essential to note that seawater's salinity has profound implications for marine life as organisms must maintain appropriate osmotic conditions to survive. For example, blood salinity in animals is around 0.8 percent, which is thought to reflect the 'fossilized' seawater from when ancestors of terrestrial organisms first emerged from the oceans. Thus, understanding salinity is important for both physical oceanography and the study of marine biology.
