2007-01-25 21:29:00 · 5 answers · asked by sivaranjani s 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Sea water is salty because salt is too heavy to evaporate. Salt gets into the ocean through surface runoff into the ocean. This is when water runs over the ground and into a water source. Since the water runs over rocks and dirt, minerals get mixed in with the water, and end up in the ocean. These minerals are the salts in the ocean. The reason that water is fresh when it comes from a river, is because rivers are fast moving and have a low residency time (how long a certain water molecule stays in a certain body of water). They also have outlets, so the salt doesn't accumulate in the river. Oceans and seas have high residency times, and no outlets, so salt accumulates there. The fact that salt is too heavy to evaporate is the reason why water evaporated from the ocean and falling as rain somewhere else is not salty.
I really hope this is the info you need!
2007-01-26 01:05:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If a river goes to a lake that doesn't drain, The lake eventually becomes salty. The river carries small amount of salt it gathers on the way. If it dumps in a lake, the salt doesn't go anywhere. On the other hand, the water eventually evaporates. Salt keeps on building building up, even though the lake never grows. Its the same for the ocean, but in a larger scale.
2007-01-26 05:39:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just go and taste the river water, it is NOT fresh when it comes from the river.
2007-01-26 05:41:04 · answer #3 · answered by Saumya Gupta 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Put simply, water(moisture) evaporates from the oceans.
Salt does not.
2007-01-26 10:12:04 · answer #4 · answered by mrjomorisin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because big cargo ships carrying salt crash and sink to the bottom of the ocean and all the salt gets mixed in with the water.
o_O
2007-01-26 05:37:13 · answer #5 · answered by Reflective Deception 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋