ESS200A
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
Salinity
q Salinity is the mass
of dissolved salts in a kilogram
of seawater.
q Unit: ‰ (part per thousand; per mil).
q The average salinity of the
world ocean is 34.7‰.
q Four major factors that affect
salinity: evaporation, precipitation, inflow of river water, and sea-ice formation and melting.
E > P
E < P
Sea-ice formation and melting
(from Global Physical Climatology)