The Properties of Sea Water — Flashcards

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The average surface temperature of seawater in equatorial areas is around 25°C. This is the highest compared to mid-latitudes (16°C) and polar areas (2°C).

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Seawater temperature decreases with depth up to 2000 meters. After 2000m, the temperature remains uniform at around 4°C everywhere from equatorial to polar regions. This happens because sunlight penet…

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Surface temperature is affected by: latitude (decreases from equator to poles), cyclones, rainfall, sea waves, ocean currents, salinity, pollution, convectional currents, and seasons. Ocean currents h…

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Salinity is the weight of all dissolved salts in water expressed as parts per thousand (‰). For example, if 1000g of seawater contains 40g of dissolved salts, the salinity is 40‰. It is measured using…

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When evaporation occurs, water turns into vapor and escapes, but salt remains in the remaining water. This concentrates the salt content, increasing salinity. Areas with high evaporation and low fresh…

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Tropical zones have higher salinity than equatorial regions. In tropics: less rainfall, low river water supply, hot deserts nearby. In equatorial regions: daily convectional rainfall, large rivers lik…

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Polar regions have low salinity because: 1) Very low temperatures reduce evaporation, 2) Melting snow and ice provide freshwater supply, 3) Low solar radiation means less water loss through evaporatio…

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The Dead Sea (Israel-Jordan border) has extremely high salinity of 332‰ (normal ocean is 35‰). Called 'dead' because no life exists except few unicellular organisms. Fish from River Jordan die immedia…