Why is the sea salty?

Since ancient times man was looking for an answer to the question of why the sea is salty. In fact, this taste has the water of all seas and oceans, only the salinity level is different for everyone. The biological diversity of this or that sea largely depends on this indicator.

But first about salt. Where does it come from? Both soils and rocky rocks contain particles of different salts, and rainwater dissolves them. Raincrackers flock to rivers that carry salt particles in the sea. And then everything, like in the school textbook: under the influence of sunlight, the process of evaporation takes place (water evaporates and salt accumulates in the sea depths), and in the form of precipitation it returns again to the ground, washing out particles of salts from the soil ...

But this is only part of the answer to the question "Why is the sea salty?". The other part should be found at the bottom of the sea. It is from the composition of the seabed, or rather from the rocks that form it, that the salinity of the sea largely depends. The chemical composition of sea water practically does not change, and since each sea or ocean has its own, the inhabitants of the sea depths are able to survive, as a rule, only on its territory. They can not be moved from one sea to another. Also of great importance is the intensity of evaporation - the higher it is, the more salt is concentrated in the sea water.

In general, there are many more reasons that affect the level of sea salinity. For example, the salinity of the Black Sea is affected by the remoteness of the ocean, as well as the fact that many European deep rivers bear their waters here. A huge flow significantly reduces the level of salinity, which leads to a decrease in the biological diversity of the Black Sea. In comparison with the Mediterranean, the number of inhabitants of the Black Sea depths is much more modest, and the diversity leaves much to be desired: here you will not encounter sea stars and hedgehogs, cuttlefish and octopus, flying fish and squid. The vegetable world of the Black Sea is also much poorer.

Why is the sea salty? There is one more point that can not be ignored when answering this question - land areas washed by the sea or the ocean. As you can see, the answer is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

Comparing the Black and Mediterranean seas, their water worlds, in a more favorable position was the last, due to a higher level of salinity. And what is the most salty sea in the world? The answer to this question is simple - Red. If in the Black Sea salt content is equal to 17 grams per liter of water (in the Baltic - only five grams), in the Red Sea this figure is more than twice as high - 35-41 grams per liter (depending on the coast).

This is due, first of all, to the absence of rivers flowing into the Red Sea, and they are known to carry fresh water, which in some way dilutes the sea, reducing the concentration of salts. Here, the concentration slowly but steadily increases. The denser layers of water fall below, the cooler water is forced into the upper layers, making natural mixing. In addition, the lack of rivers makes it possible for seawater to maintain its transparency and purity. And from this the wealth of the underwater world largely depends: the diversity and beauty of the inhabitants of the Red Sea simply amazes imagination.

Answering questions about why the sea is salty, and which sea is the most salty, it is impossible not to remember the Dead, which, being without drain, is also called a lake. The extremely high concentration of salts in its water is constantly maintained by mineral springs, which make water not only the most saline, but also unique in its composition, it is unique. It is water, as well as the famous mud mud, which, by the way, also has a high content of mineral salts, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to the shores of the Dead Sea , coming from all over the world to improve their health.