why the ocean water is salty?

Answer 1

It is thought that the salt in the oceans stems from erosion of bedrock near ocean basins; big lakes and rivers are formed by evaporation and subsequent precipitation/runoff of ocean water, and by melting of freshwater ice. Since evaporated water can't "take the salt with it", even big lakes are generally made of freshwater, whereas the oceans are made of saltwater.
People don't really know what happens to the salt concentration (or salinity) of the oceans over time; Accurate salinity maps of oceans are hard to produce since oceans are so big. As the Earth's temperature rises in the future (both from natural and human effects) - two things will happen to the salinity. First, increased evaporation over oceans will tend to make the salinity rise. Second, increased melting at the poles will bring more freshwater into the oceans, which will decrease the salinity. Which of these two effects dominates the water cycle in the future will determine the change in salt concentration.

Answer 2

When water flows through a river, it dissolves a small amounts of salts from the rocks and soil. The slightly salty water then flows into the ocean. Then, evaporation happens, and the water becomes a gas in the atmosphere, but the salt remains in the ocean. This humidity in the atmosphere eventually cools, forms droplets, and falls as salt-less rain again onto the land, and the whole cycle repeats. Eventually this process washes all the salt down to the ocean, and the oceans becomes salty.

Answer 3

The vast expanse of water in the sea which covers most of the space on the earth is salty.This is because most of the rivers and streams empty themselves into the sea.The rivers are strewn with rock and plant debris.
The rocks contain many minerals and salts(especially sodium chloride) which dissolve in the water. As the rivers drain into the sea,a considerable amount of salts get dissolved in the sea water.
When these waters evaporate due to the heat of the sun,they leave the salt behind. The evaporated water is brought back to the land in the form of rain and the rivers carry the water again to the sea.
As this cycle is repeated,the amount of salt increases but the water content does not.Moreover,this is going on for million of years.May be, the seas too would have lost their salt,if they had had the outlets to let out the salt.

Answer 4

i am going to say that the saltiness is due to formation of salt crystals in ocean by which the pure water flowing from river to sea by accumulating salt particles and getting to salty form of water.Rivers contain almost no salt. But they do carry a very tiny amount of salt. Some of this salt comes from rocks. But mostly, the salt comes from the dried up remains of ancient salt seas and lakes. A small amount of salt is added to the seas, by the rivers. Evaporation takes away water, but removes no salt. No matter how little salt is added to these seas, the salt content keeps increasing until the water can hold no more salt. All it takes is enough time.

Answer 5

The salt is washed out from the rocks and carried by the rivers to the sea and since the water evaporates, the salt remains behind. Thus every year, some salt is being added but in the last few hundreds of years, some salt is being taken out and consumed by mankind. Thus, more or less an equilibrium is maintained.

Answer 6

The sea wont get over salty from the mineral run off ,the salt deposits back on land after sometime as salt cliffs or places like the salt banks humans collect it too

Answer 7

When the ocean water passes through rocks etc. it dissolves a number of salts in it and makes the ocean water salty.
whale sperm is also a reason for it.

Answer 8

clearly because sodium & chloriene were present at the forming of the oceans, the water acted as a carrier for their cohesion. when the salt water evaporated only the water was taken and then presipitated inland. hence the sources of fresh and salt water.

Answer 9

its not whale sperm..jeez...
when the river is traveling towards the sea, the water erodes away at the rock, wich realeases sand and sodium, that, my friend ,is why the sea is salty.

Answer 10

Minerals?