Seawater

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/seawater

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 scientific name?Ocean Water (informal term)
2. What is the average salinity?3.5% (35 g/L or 35 ppt)
3. What is seawater and how salty is it?Seawater is the salty water that covers most of Earth. It has about 3.5% salt, which is 35 grams of salt per liter.
4. Why does seawater have more salt than fresh water?Seawater contains many dissolved ions, especially sodium and chloride, which add mass without much volume. This makes seawater denser than fresh water.

Salinity: The total concentration of dissolved salts in water, typically measured in parts per thousand (ppt) or grams per liter (g/L).
Density: Mass per unit volume; seawater's density is influenced by temperature, salinity, and pressure.
pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, on a scale of 0 to 14; 7 is neutral.
Thermohaline Circulation: Global ocean currents driven by differences in temperature and salinity, forming a large-scale water circulation system.