Seawater
Seawater
Seawater (pronounced: /ˈsiːˌwɔːtər/), also known as salt water, is water from a sea or ocean.
Etymology
The term "seawater" is derived from the Old English sǣ-wæter (sea-water). The term "salt water" is derived from the Old English sealt wæter.
Definition
Seawater is a complex mixture of 96.5% water, 2.5% salts, and smaller amounts of other substances, including dissolved inorganic and organic materials, particulates, and a few atmospheric gases.
Composition
Seawater is primarily composed of water, salt, magnesium, sulfate, calcium, and potassium. The exact composition can vary depending on the location and depth of the water.
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. The average salinity of seawater is about 35 parts per thousand (ppt), which means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has about 35 grams of dissolved salts (mostly, but not entirely, the ions of sodium chloride: Na+ and Cl−).
Uses
Seawater is used for many purposes, including desalination for drinking water, cooling in industrial processes, and in aquaculture. It is also used in thalassotherapy, a form of therapy that uses seawater and sea products for health and beauty treatments.
Related Terms
- Brackish water: Water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater.
- Desalination: The process of removing salt and other minerals from seawater.
- Marine biology: The study of organisms in the ocean or other marine bodies of water.
- Oceanography: The study of the physical and biological aspects of the ocean.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Seawater
- Wikipedia's article - Seawater
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