Salinity

views updated May 21 2018

Salinity

A salt is a compound of a metal with a nonmetal other than hydrogen or oxygen. NaCl (sodium chloride), or table salt, is the best-known example. The solubility of various salts in water at a standard temperature is highly variable. When salts are dissolved in water, the result is called a saline solution, and the salinity of the solution is measured by its ability to carry an electrical current. Salinity of water is one of the components of water quality . Salinity is also measured in soil . Soil can become salinized from water containing sufficient salts, from the natural degradation of soil minerals, or from materials added to the soil such as fertilizer . Large amounts of water may be required to leach the accumulated salts from the root zone and prevent reduced plant growth or plant desiccation.

See also Soil profile; Water quality standards

salinity

views updated May 23 2018

salinity A measure of the total quantity of dissolved solids in water, in parts per thousand (per mille) by weight, when all organic matter has been completely oxidized, all carbonate has been converted to oxide, and bromide and iodide to chloride. The salinity of ocean water is in the range 33–38 parts per thousand, with an average of 35 parts per thousand.

salinity

views updated May 18 2018

salinity A measure of the total quantity of dissolved solids in water, in parts per thousand (per mille) by weight, when all organic matter has been completely oxidized, all carbonate has been converted to oxide, and bromide and iodide to chloride. The salinity of ocean water is in the range 33–8 parts per thousand, with an average of 35 parts per thousand.

salinity

views updated May 08 2018

salinity Measure of the total quantity of dissolved solids in sea water in parts per thousand by weight when all the carbonate has been converted to oxide, the bromide and iodide to chloride, and all the organic matter is completely oxidized. Ocean-water salinity varies in the range 33–8 parts per thousand, with an average of 35 parts per thousand.

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