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Article: Sea Water, Freezing of
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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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Sea Water, Freezing of
The density of ocean water is determined by its
salinity
(or salt content) and temperature. The saltier and/or colder the water is, the denser it is. Salt water is most dense at its freezing point, unlike fresh water, which is most dense at about 3.9
°
C (39.0
°
F). Oceans are highly stratified: deep ocean water is heavy, and the lighter water is on top. This often is not the case in the atmosphere: warm air near the ground surface is lighter than the overlying air it displaces, resulting in unstable conditions and thunderstorms.
The stratified, stable nature of oceans is important because otherwise there would be no
sea ice
, nor would there be warm ...