Ocean salinity refers to the concentration and spatial–temporal variability of dissolved inorganic salts in seawater, typically expressed in practical salinity units (PSU) or as absolute salinity (g kg⁻¹). It is primarily controlled by the balance between evaporation, precipitation, riverine and glacial freshwater input, sea ice formation and melt, and mixing processes. Salinity strongly influences seawater density, thereby modulating thermohaline circulation, stratification, and large-scale climate dynamics. It also affects chemical equilibria, gas solubility, and conductivity, making it a key parameter in oceanographic observations, remote sensing, and numerical modeling of ocean circulation and biogeochemical cycles.
They live in some of the most inaccessible waters on Earth, where ocean temperatures hover around freezing. Because they move through areas that humans rarely reach, they have been able to help researchers with a special ...
Environment
Aug 26, 2026
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Sea-surface salinity, the concentration of dissolved salts in the upper layer of the ocean, is much more than a measure of how salty the sea is. It responds rapidly to changes in rainfall, evaporation, river discharge and, ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2026
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Understanding marine life, ecosystems and processes depends on high-quality, publicly available data. The Argo Program is the dominant source of ocean data, helping scientists worldwide assess and track global ocean health.
Environment
Jul 28, 2026
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A Florida State University paleoclimatologist led the creation of a global database hosting thousands of seawater isotope measurements collected over almost 50 years that will aid scientists in generating more accurate climate ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 14, 2026
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Scientists investigating a proposed way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using seawater have found that adding too much alkalinity to neutralize acids can trigger chemical reactions that undermine the process.
Increasingly, the world's oceans are telling us our climate system may be changing faster and more dramatically than expected.
Environment
May 25, 2026
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Data collected during a rowing challenge around the seas of Great Britain has found significantly higher concentrations of microplastic pollution than previously recorded, a new report finds. The team, which included University ...
Environment
Feb 22, 2026
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Climate change has many culprits, from agriculture to transportation to energy production. Now, add another: the deep ocean salty blob.
Earth Sciences
Jan 7, 2026
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Earth's ocean, the planet's life-support system, is experiencing rapid and widespread transformations that extend far below its surface. A promising international study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that vast ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 25, 2025
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Climate models suggest that climate change could reduce the Southern Ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). However, observational data actually shows that this ability has seen no significant decline in recent decades.
Earth Sciences
Oct 17, 2025
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