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How does salinity occur in the ocean?

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The pool of brine in the foreground is nearly four times as salty as seawater and is so dense that a submarine can float on the pool (in fact, this photo was shot from a submarine). Salt in the ocean comes from rocks on land. The rain that falls on the land contains some dissolved carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. read more

The salinity varies a little from place to place and from the surface to depth, but these small changes are of great importance. The salinity (along with the temperature) controls the density of seawater, and thus affects the major currents throughout the ocean. read more

Evaporation of ocean water and formation of sea ice both increase the salinity of the ocean. However these "salinity raising" factors are continually counterbalanced by processes that decrease salinity such as the continuous input of fresh water from rivers, precipitation of rain and snow, and melting of ice. read more

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