ASK DR. KNOWLEDGE

From: The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) | Date: September 4, 2006 | Copyright information

Why is the sea salty? Will it keep getting saltier? Where did all the salt come from?

B.H., Boston

This is a great question that was first answered (at least partly) in 1715 by Sir Edmond Halley of "Halley's Comet" fame.

The first thing to think about is the relationship between fresh and salt water. When fresh or salt water evaporates, water turns to vapor, leaving dissolved materials like salt behind. This water vapor rises into the air and eventually forms clouds and returns as rain. In other words, rain is fresh water regardless of what water evaporated to make it.

Water that comes from ...

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