Dissolved minerals from rocks on land wash down rivers and streams
and into the ocean, where they build up over time.
Image credit: Wiki
Transcript of the Audio Podcast:
Why is the ocean salty?… on today’s CurrentCast.
We’ve all come home with salty lips after spending a day at the beach. But where does this salt come from and how does it end up in the ocean?
It starts out as dissolved minerals in rocks on land. When rain and streams flow over these rocks, the water picks up the minerals and transports them to the sea, where they form salt, and build up over time.
Dissolved salts also bubble up from the ocean floor from hydrothermal vents – areas where seawater has been trapped by rocks, heated up, and then released. Underwater volcanoes spew minerals into the sea, too – increasing salinity
As a result, each quart of seawater contains about one teaspoon of salt.
Support for CurrentCast comes from the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas. Learn more online at http://www.currentcast.org.
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