Why is the Ocean Salty?

The dissolved chemicals present in water, even in rainwater, are called by the scientists as salts. As all oceans contain unacceptable amounts of dissolved chemicals, their water is too salty for human consumption. Studying oceanography or marine science involves knowing about the amazing world under the water.

• About 70% of the earth's surface is covered by oceans and from this, only 3% is freshwater, which is mainly in the form of glaciers and icecaps.
• According to the estimates of some scientists, the oceans contain as much as, 50 quadrillion tons (50 million billion tons) of dissolved solids!

• A huge 40 storied office building of more than 500 feet height would be formed, if this salt is spread on the land surface.
• Studies show that 1 cubic foot of sea water evaporates and leaves behind about 2.2 pounds of salt, but 1 cubic foot of freshwater from a lake contains only one-hundredth (0.01) of a pound of salt, or about one sixth of an ounce.

A simple answer to the question, is that the oceans of the world are salty because of the rocks on the land. Surprised? Let me clarify the above statement.

As the rainwater contains carbon dioxide, it turns acidic. Presence of carbonic acid makes it so. The erosion of rocks takes place because of the chemical content in the rainwater. And in this way, the chemical contents of rocks dissolved in the water, are carried along as ions, with the rainwater.

As the rainwater flows into the streams and the rivers, and finally into the oceans, it carries those ions with it. Marine organisms use some of the chemical ions from the water, but the remaining chemicals make the water salty. The concentration levels of the unused chemicals in the water, increase over a period of time.

About 35 of 1,000 (3.5%) of the weight of seawater, comes from the dissolved salts. That means, for every 1 liter of sea water there are 35 grams of salts. Most of the sea's salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), made up of sodium and chloride, it is also known as common table salt or halite.

Almost 78% of sea water is composed of NaCl, while it also contains traces of other chemical elements such as potassium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, etc.

The oceans receive some of the salts from eruption of volcanoes, located under their surface. Salts are also generated by the solid and gaseous materials, which has escaped from the Earth's crust, through volcanic vents above the oceans. This material is washed away from the land, by offshore winds and rainfall. Some of the sea's salts come from rocks and sediments dissolved from below its floor.

Freshwater does contain dissolved salts. Every source of water like rivers, ponds, most lakes, and rainwater, has some traces of dissolved chemical substances. The amount of salts is not detected by just tasting it, as it is too small.

The salt load of the oceans is so heavy that rivers and streams, emptied into it cannot neutralize its salt level, and making it as fresh as themselves. Every water source brings with it, salts. An estimated 4 billion tons of dissolved salts are carried to them annually, by the rivers throughout the world.

Whatever nature has created, it's all for the benefit of mankind. The oceans are salty, but we should not forget that sea salt is beneficial in various ways. Discovering the secrets of Earth is really very interesting and enjoyable.