Describe the chemical composition of seawater

What will be an ideal response?


Seawater is a solution. The concentrations of dissolved solids in seawater is known as salinity. Seawater has a rather uniform chemical composition, which is affected by the atmosphere, minerals, bottom sediments, and living organisms. Seven elements account for more than 99% of the dissolved solids in their ionic form: chlorine (CL-), sodium (NA+) , magnesium (Mg2+), sulfates (SO42), calcium (CA2+), potassium (K+), and bromine (BR-). The average worldwide salinity of seawater is 35‰. However, the values actually vary worldwide from about 34‰ to 37‰. Areas with freshwater inputs (equatorial regions, near coastlines) tend to have lower salinity, whereas areas with high evapotranspiration (e.g. subtropical high areas) have higher salinity.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

You might also like to view...

The most likely time for an ordinary call thunderstorm to form is

a. just after sunrise b. just before sunrise c. around midnight d. late afternoon e. at noon

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Households and workplaces produce five major types of recyclable materials. What are these materials?

What will be an ideal response?

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

What branch of Islam is the minority of Muslims?

A. Druze B. Shiite C. Wahhabite D. Sunni

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

In what country are powdered rhino horns from Sub-Saharan Africa valued as a traditional medicine?

A) Yemen B) China C) Ghana D) Niger E) France

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences