Salinity

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/salinity

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the thermodynamic variable?Governs water density, heat capacity, and freezing point, alongside temperature and pressure
2. What is the primary origin?Weathering of continental rocks and hydrothermal activity
3. What makes the ocean taste salty?The ocean is salty because it contains many dissolved salts, like sodium and chloride, that come from rocks and rivers.
4. Why does salinity affect ocean currents?Saltier water is denser, so it sinks and helps pull water around the world in a big loop called thermohaline circulation.

Thermodynamic State Variable: A property that defines the state of a system, like temperature, pressure, or salinity.
Thermohaline Circulation: Global ocean currents driven by differences in water temperature and salinity.
Osmoregulation: The process by which organisms maintain a stable internal salt and water balance.