sea water
Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts (predominantly sodium () and chloride () ions). The average density at the surface is 1.025 kg/L. Seawater is denser than both fresh water and pure water (density 1.0 kg/L at ) because the dissolved salts increase the mass by a larger proportion than the volume. The freezing point of seawater decreases as salt concentrati
AI overview
Seawater is the salty water found in oceans and seas, containing about 3.5% dissolved salts—mainly sodium and chloride ions—which make it denser and heavier than fresh water. Understanding seawater's composition and properties matters because it affects ocean behavior, marine life, and how saltwater interacts with ships and coastal environments.
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Research
104,655 papers- Review on sea water quality (SWQ) monitoring using satellite remote sensing techniques (SRST).Marine pollution bulletin · 2025
- Mineral-Enriched Deep-Sea Water Modulates Lactate Metabolism via PGC-1α-Mediated Metabolic Reprogramming.Marine drugs · 2019
- Dead sea water intoxication.Pediatric emergency care · 2012
- Impact of sea-level rise on sea water intrusion in coastal aquifers.Ground water · 2009
- [Sea-water Euglenineae].Archiv fur Mikrobiologie · 1953
via PubMed
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Properties
- Salinity
- Density
- pH value
- Chemical composition
- Microbial components
- Other parameters
- Origin and history
- Human impacts
- Human consumption
- Purification
- Mineral extraction
- The future of mineral and element extractions
- Standard
- Ecosystems
- Environmental impact and sustainability
- See also
- References
- External links
Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts (predominantly sodium () and chloride () ions). The average density at the surface is 1.025 kg/L. Seawater is denser than both fresh water and pure water (density 1.0 kg/L at ) because the dissolved salts increase the mass by a larger proportion than the volume. The freezing point of seawater decreases as salt concentration increases. At typical salinity, it freezes at about . The coldest seawater still in the liquid state ever recorded was found in 2010, in a stream under an Antarctic glacier: the measured temperature was .
Seawater pH is typically limited to a range between 7.5 and 8.4. However, there is no universally accepted reference pH-scale for seawater and the difference between measurements based on different reference scales may be up to 0.14 units.