The salt in the oceans is derived from constituent sources. The major source of salt is river runoff. In addition, some salts are supplied from out gassing during volcanic eruptions. Interestingly, the ocean is not getting more salty with time as you might expect. Instead, the salt content of the oceans is fairly constant. The salinity (salt content) of ocean water varies. The oceans and seas contain roughly 5 x 10 16 tons of salts. One cubic foot of average sea water contains 2.2 pounds of salt.
The oceans are about 3.5% salts (by weight). Salinity is generally reported in terms of parts per thousand, the number of pounds of salt per 1,000 pounds of water; the average ocean salinity is 35 %. Today’s ocean salt has ancient origins. As the earth formed, gases spewing from its interior released salt ions that reached the ocean via rainfall or land runoff. The saltiness of the sea comes from dissolved minerals, especially sodium, chlorine, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
The oceans are about 3.5% salts (by weight). Salinity is generally reported in terms of parts per thousand, the number of pounds of salt per 1,000 pounds of water; the average ocean salinity is 35 %. Today’s ocean salt has ancient origins. As the earth formed, gases spewing from its interior released salt ions that reached the ocean via rainfall or land runoff. The saltiness of the sea comes from dissolved minerals, especially sodium, chlorine, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
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