NASA | Aquarius Observations of Sea Surface Salinity

This visualization shows changes in global sea surface salinity, as measured by NASA's Aquarius instrument aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, from December 2011 through December 2012. Red represents areas of high salinity, while blue represents areas of low salinity. Aquarius is a focused effort to measure sea surface salinity and will provide the global view of salinity variability needed for climate studies. The mission is a collaboration between NASA and the Space Agency of Argentina (Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales).

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[Dsertstrm]

Same reason. Its all about dilution and water circulation. The black sea has many large rivers flowing into it and the water circulation (volume in and volume out) probably occurs at a higher ratio than in the Mediterranean when comapared to their respective water masses.

[morticiamom]

Because it's in an area of the world where there is little rain, and a lot of sun, causing evaporation, this causes the saltiness. It stays salty because the water there cannot mix freely with the water in the Atlantic ocean since circulation is restricted by the relative narrowness of the strait of Gibraltar.

[hawkeye]

It seems to me other factors do influence the data. No drop in salinity: where the Missisipi flows into the Gulf of Mexico, also where the Nile flows into the sea and then an unexpected low salinity level in the Red Sea between Africa and Arabia, also the west coast of the Americas, particularly the Panama area.

[ThePolyAtheist]

Subieron otro video paralelo que explica las observaciones, pero igual no pareciera que hay conclusiones por el momento... Entiendo que es más un trabajo de monitoreo para poder relacionar estos datos con otros cambios climáticos.

[Dsertstrm]

You're right, I stand corrected.

[Dsertstrm]

Thats mostly correct, but evaporation is a means of extracting the salt, its not its cause. Salt is composed of atoms of carbon and sodium that come fom rocks and end up in the sea.

[milanstanisic]

zato sto nema jeke struje, a veliko isparavanje a ni rijeke koje se uljevaju nisu toliko velike

[hawkeye]

No problem! It happens in the best of families :)

[hawkeye]

Huh, salt from carbon and sodium? Nope, salt is mainly sodium and chlorine but sulphates, like magnesium sulphate also fall under the general classification of salt.

[Dsertstrm]

Because water doesnt flow freely into the ocean and therefore the minerals dont dilute.

[cosmoskymasterall]

Well it seems that's there's persons in this video that failed chemistry. Salt composed by carbon? What the heck, it's composed of sodium and chlorine. And to think that you eat it every day