Sea water is a complex substance containing many chemicals.
Sea water contains at least 72 different chemical elements. Scientists, however, still don't completely understand all of its contents, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Water is amazingly complex. It is one of the few substances that exists in all three forms of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Sea water, also called saltwater or ocean water, is made up of different elements and gases.
Salts
About 99 percent of sea salts in sea water is made from just six elements. PhysicalGeography.net notes that sea salt contains bromine, carbon, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and sulfur. The amount of elements in the salt is constant in all oceans, but the amount of water in sea water varies depending on evaporation and precipitation. The earth's oceans contain as much as 50 quadrillion tons, or 50 million billion tons, of salt.
Gases
Gases are added to sea water as wind and waves churn the surface. In his book, "An Introduction to the World's Oceans," Dr. Keith Sverdrup explains that ocean water contains large amounts of carbon dioxide. Sea water also contains lesser amounts of argon, carbon monoxide, helium, krypton, methane, neon, nitrogen, nitrous oxide and xenon. The chemical balance of ocean water is similar to the chemical make-up of land-dwelling animals.
H2O
The largest portion of seawater is the part that makes up the water, which is comprised H2O. Seawater is made up of about 96.5 percent H2O, a combination of hydrogen and oxygen.
Salinity
The average salinity, or saltiness of sea water, is approximately 35 percent, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and based on standards developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Joint Panel on Oceanographic Tables and Standards. Seawater contains about 3.5 percent salt. Thus, 35 percent salinity means there are 35 pounds of salt for every 1,000 pounds of sea water based on these standards. Most of the salt and chemicals in ocean water get there from continental erosion, weathering and run-off.
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