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.
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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The ocean around Antarctica is rapidly getting saltier at the same time as sea ice is retreating at a record pace. Since 2015, the frozen continent has lost sea ice similar to the size of Greenland. That ice hasn't returned, ...
Environment
Jul 1, 2025
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157
Researchers have discovered a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Southern Ocean, with surface water salinity rising and sea ice in steep decline.
Earth Sciences
Jun 30, 2025
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