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Article: Ocean Chemical Processes
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- Water:Science and Issues
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ocean Chemical Processes
Why is the sea salty? Sea water contains about 35 grams per kilogram of dissolved salt. The most obvious source for the salt is river water, which can easily be observed
weathering
rocks (from which the water derives minerals), carrying
sediment
, and flowing continually into the ocean.
*
Because the water added to the ocean evaporates but the dissolved salts do not, it seems reasonable to suggest that river water brings salt to the ocean.
But a closer look shows that the process must be more complicated. Table 1 compares the major substances dissolved in river water and ocean water. If sea water is simply concentrated river water, these elements should be ...