Why is the ocean salty? Easy science facts kids will love

Why is the ocean salty? Easy science facts kids will love (Image: Canva)

Have you ever wondered why the ocean tastes salty? The answer lies in a natural process that has been happening for millions of years. Rivers and streams slowly wear down rocks on land, carrying tiny amounts of minerals such as sodium and chloride into the seas.

How Salt Reaches the Ocean?

On land, erosion of rocks happening constantly due to rivers and streams, which depose minerals (sodium, chloride) to the oceans. When it rains, tiny percentage of these minerals are dissolved in rainwater and are carried to rivers that in turn over to the sea. This mechanism has over millions of years steadily added to the salinity of the ocean.

What Makes Sea Water Salty?

Sodium chloride (Table salt), magnesium, potassium and calcium salts are the main salts in seawater. It is these dissolved mineral particles that help seawater attain its distinct taste and density.

The level of salinity is slightly varying with location, evaporation and rainfall, although the average is approximately 35 grams per litre.

Why Doesn’t the Ocean Get So Salty?

Although rivers continuously introduce salts, the salinity of the ocean never becomes unlimited as naturally certain salts are washed off.

Marine organisms rely on minerals to structure shells and skeletons, and certain salts become deposited as seaside sediments. This equilibrium keeps the ocean comparatively constant in salinity as geological time goes by.

How Salt Shapes Ocean Life?

Salt influences water density, water circulation and the habitat of millions of marine creatures. The adaptation of fish, corals and plankton to the salinity of their environment has also adjusted to the salinity of each region.

Knowledge of the salinity of oceans aids scientists in tracking climate change, water cycle and marine life wellness.