What is the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean?

It should start with the interpretation of such notions as "World Ocean" - is the water surface of the whole earth, surrounded by land (continents, islands, and so on. D.).In Russia and in some European countries it is divided into four parts (ocean): Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic.

Many hundreds of millions of years ago, North and South America, Africa, Antarctica and Europe - it was a solid land mass.The last few million. Years were marked by an event such as the opening of the ocean basin, after which the land became divided into continents (this trend is relevant today).

Atlantic wore a variety of names: Atlantic, "the sea of ​​the pillars of Hercules," Western Ocean, Sea of ​​Darkness.At the beginning of the XVI century.cartographer M. Valdzemyuller the Atlantic Ocean called.

He is recognized as the second largest after the Pacific Ocean Earth.Viewed Ocean located between Africa and Europe (east), Iceland and Greenland (to the north), South America and North (west), Antarctica and South America (south).

It has much a broken coastline with a pronounced division into separate regional water area: the bays and the sea.

salinity Atlantic

He is recognized as the salty ocean.The salinity of the Atlantic Ocean in parts per million, according to official data, is 35,4 ‰.The largest value observed in the Sargasso Sea.This is due to strong evaporation and a considerable distance from the river flow.The salinity of the Atlantic in some areas (at the bottom of the Red Sea) reached a value of 270 ‰ (nearly saturated solution).The sharp desalination of ocean water in the estuarine areas mentioned (for example, in the estuary. La Plata - about 18-19 ‰).

distribution of salinity in the ocean is not always the zonal.It depends on the following reasons:

  • evaporation;
  • number and mode of precipitation;
  • inflow of water from the streams from other latitudes;
  • volume delivered fresh water rivers.

which recorded the highest concentration of salinity in this ocean?

It falls mainly on the tropical latitudes (37,9 ‰).The coordinates of the area - 20-25 ° S.w.(South. Atlantic), 20-30 ° with.w.(North. Atlantic).In these places, mostly trade-wind circulation, is small enough precipitation, evaporation layer of 3 m, fresh water here almost come.

slightly greater salinity observed in the Northern Hemisphere (in areas of temperate latitudes).There are flocking all the water flow (North Atlantic).

saline waters of the Atlantic Ocean: equatorial latitudes

It reaches a level of 35 ‰.Salinity of water (Atlantic Ocean) is changing with depth.This level was recorded at a depth of 100-200 m. This is due to the surface over the Lomonosov.It is known that the salinity of the surface layer in some cases is not identical to the depth of salinity.This previous record salinity decreases sharply when faced with the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current, resulting - 31-32 ‰.

Specificity Atlantic

This so-called submarine sources - underground fresh water.One has long been well-known sailors.This source is located east of the peninsula called Florida (where sailors replenish stocks of fresh water).It is a sandy area in the salty Atlantic Ocean a length up to 90 m. Fresh water has on the forty-meter depth, and then tends to the surface.It's kind of a typical phenomenon - unloading sources in areas of karst or within tectonic disturbances.In a situation where the pressure of the groundwater significantly exceeds the pressure of a column of sea salt water, immediately begin unloading - the process of effusion of groundwater.

What is salinity?

is a known fact that the water - this is an excellent solvent therefore exists in nature water that does not contain soluble substances.Distilled water can be obtained only in the laboratory.

Salinity - the content of substances in grams of solute per liter (kg) of water.As mentioned earlier, the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean in ppm is 35,4 ‰.In 1 liter of water in an ocean average dissolved 35 g of various kinds of substances.In percentage terms - it is 3.5%.Thus, the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean as a percentage of approximately 3.5%.However, it is usually expressed in thousandths of (ppm).

in ocean water contained in different proportions solutions are all known substances on earth.The salinity of the Atlantic Ocean (and the rest of the ocean) - it is the result contained in large quantities of salt.Bitter ocean water give the magnesium salt.It has also been found: silver, aluminum, gold, and copper.They constitute a very small proportion, for example, 2 ths. Tons of water containing one gram of gold.Obviously, extract it simply makes no sense.

significant amount of dissolved substances is difficult to detect because of their meager contents.However, in the aggregate - it is a huge amount (if it was possible to evaporate the whole ocean water, these substances would cover the bottom of the oceans layer to 60 m).Of the total volume, you can even create a shaft width of 1 km and height - 280 m, surrounding the Earth at the equator.

Atlantic Ocean: the depth, area, sea

As it became known, the first distinctive feature - the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean.The meters measure its depth reaches 3700, and at the deepest point - 8742 m. Its area - 92 million sq. M.km.

Seas of the Atlantic are: the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Sargasso, Marmara, Aegean, Tyrrhenian, Northern, Baltic, Adriatic, Black Sea, the Weddell Sea of ​​Azov, the Irish, Ionian.

salinity of the seas of the Atlantic Ocean

Sea Atlantic

salinity of the seas, (‰)

1. Aegean

38-38,5

2. Black

17-18

3. Weddell

34

4. Tyrrhenian

37,7-38

5. Mediterranean

36-39,5

6. North

31-35

7. Sargasso

36,5-37

8. Marmara

16,8-27,8

9. Caribbean

35,5-36

10. Ionian

38

11. Baltic

6-8

12. Azov

13

13. Irish

32,8-34,8

14. Adriatic

30-38

factors influencing the salinity of ocean water

There are at least four major.The salinity of the Atlantic Ocean (as well as any other water body) depends on the following processes:

  • water evaporation from the ocean surface;
  • entering the ocean of fresh water (runoff, precipitation, and others.);
  • dissolution in water, salt rocks;
  • decomposition of dead animals.

high rate of salinity is also linked with the influx through the Strait of salt water from the Mediterranean Sea.

Before perishing of thirst so many sailors in the ocean.Later explorers began to stock a significant volume of fresh water, which occupied too much space.Who courts desalinate water through special desalination plants.