Properties of Ocean Water Diante Pippin Danielle A. Watkins Sonya Watson

Composition of Ocean Water Ocean water is 96.5% pure water. The six most abundant elements in the ocean are sodium, chlorine, sulfur, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Most of the solids found in the ocean are salts. The earth’s rivers carry about 400 billion kilograms of dissolved solids into the ocean each year.

Composition of Ocean Water

Salinity of Ocean Water Salinity is the number of grams of dissolved solids in 1 kg of ocean water. Ocean water is about 3.5% salt. Rivers, streams, and groundwater carry salt into the ocean. Evaporation leaves behind dissolved salts increasing salinity and precipitation “freshens” the top ocean layer.

Salinity of Ocean Water

Density of Ocean Water Density is the mass of a substance per unit volume. Salinity and temperature affect the density of ocean water. Ocean water becomes more dense as it becomes colder and less dense as it becomes warmer. The density of ocean water continuously increases with decreasing temperature until the water freezes.

Density of Ocean Water

Temperature of Ocean Water Ocean water can absorb the long, invisible infrared wavelengths of sunlight, these rays heat the water. The sun cannot heat ocean water below the surface zone, so the temperature of the water drops as the depth increases. The average temperature of the ocean surface water is about 17°C (62.6°F). The temperature of most of the deep ocean is between 0-3°C (32-37°F).

Temperature of Ocean Water

Color of Ocean Water Most of the time the ocean appears to be blue because this is the color our eyes see. The ocean can be many other colors depending upon particles in the water, the depth of the water, and the amount of skylight. Blue wavelengths are absorbed the least by the deep ocean water and are scattered and reflected back to the observer’s eye. The colors we see depend upon the reflection of the visible wavelengths of light to our eyes.

Color of Ocean Water

Questions What percent of ocean water is pure? What is salinity? What are three ways that gases can enter ocean waters? What is a zone of rapid temperature change below surface called? Pack Ice Upwelling Distillation Thermocline Ocean water becomes more dense as it becomes and less dense as it becomes .

Bibliography http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/density.html&edu=high On this website, our group found information on the density of ocean water. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/salinity.html&edu=high On this website, our group found information on the salinity of ocean water. http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/seawater.htm#gases On this website, our group found information on the composition of ocean water. http://www.cea-life.com/ocean/geochemistry.htm On this website, our group found information on the color of ocean water. http://science.hg_nasa.gov/oceans On this website, our group found information on the temperature of ocean water. Modern Earth Science In this book, our group found information on the density, salinity, composition, temperature, and color of ocean water.