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Water & Oceanography

Why is sea water salty?

The reason that sea water is salty revolves mainly around the concept of the evaporation of salt water. Rivers flow into the sea bringing with them very small amounts of salt. This process is called weathering. We don't taste the salt in rivers and other freshwater bodies of water because the concentration of salts in these bodies of water is so low. When salt water evaporates the salt stays behind. The evaporated water spreads out and falls in some sort of precipitation. This precipitate usually flows into rivers and finds its way back to the sea, bringing with it more salts. This endless loop has been going on for millions of years, slowly increasing the concentration of salt. Some lakes aren't salty. That is because they have an exit point. These lakes are usually just a stopping point for water in a river, formed by a large depression in the path of a river.

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Why is sea water salty?

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Why is sea water salty?

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