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Describe the natural and anthropogenic factors that affect the salinity budget of ocean?
See lessDescribe the natural and anthropogenic factors that affect the salinity budget of ocean?
Natural Factors: 1. Water Cycle Dynamics: - Precipitation and Evaporation*: These natural processes directly impact the ocean's salinity. Precipitation adds freshwater, reducing salinity locally, while evaporation increases salinity by removing freshwater from seawater. 2. Freshwater Input from RiveRead more
Natural Factors:
1. Water Cycle Dynamics:
– Precipitation and Evaporation*: These natural processes directly impact the ocean’s salinity. Precipitation adds freshwater, reducing salinity locally, while evaporation increases salinity by removing freshwater from seawater.
2. Freshwater Input from Rivers:
– Rivers transport freshwater and dissolved salts from land to the ocean. This input varies geographically and seasonally, affecting coastal salinity levels.
3.Sea Ice Dynamics:
– Sea ice forms primarily from freshwater. During freezing, salt is expelled, increasing seawater salinity nearby. Conversely, when sea ice melts, it releases freshwater, decreasing local salinity.
4. Ocean Circulation:
– Ocean currents redistribute water globally, affecting the distribution of salts. Surface currents can transport lower-salinity water from high-latitude regions towards the equator, influencing regional salinity patterns.
5. Atmospheric Influence:
– Aerosols and dust particles can carry salts from continents to the ocean through precipitation, impacting salinity in coastal regions.
6. Geological Activity:
– Submarine volcanic eruptions and hydrothermal vents release minerals into the ocean, locally altering salinity levels.
Anthropogenic Factors:
1. Desalination and Water Management:
– Desalination plants produce brine with elevated salinity levels, which can be discharged back into the ocean, affecting local marine environments.
2. Agricultural and Urban Runoff:
– Runoff from agricultural areas carries fertilizers and salts into rivers, ultimately affecting coastal salinity. Urbanization can similarly alter freshwater inputs into coastal waters.
3. Industrial Activities:
– Industrial effluents may contain pollutants and salts that can influence coastal salinity levels if discharged into nearby waters.
4. Climate Change:
– Climate change alters precipitation patterns, sea surface temperatures, and the extent of sea ice, which collectively affect the ocean’s salinity distribution. Increased melting of polar ice caps can contribute freshwater, reducing salinity in specific regions.
Understanding these natural and anthropogenic influences on the ocean’s salinity budget is essential for managing marine ecosystems and predicting climate changes.
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