salinity

thumb|upright=1.3|right|Annual mean sea surface salinity for the World Ocean. Data from the [[World Ocean Atlas 2009.]] thumb|upright|right|International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO) standard seawater. Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal to ‰).

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Salinity is the amount of salt dissolved in water, typically measured in grams of salt per liter or kilogram of water. It matters because it characterizes different bodies of water and affects their properties, which is why scientists track salinity levels across oceans and other aquatic environments.

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Commons category: Salinity

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Article

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Contents

Definitions
Composition
Seawater
Lakes and rivers
Classification of water bodies based upon salinity
Environmental considerations
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Salinity is an important factor in determining many aspects of the chemistry of natural waters and of biological processes within it, and is a thermodynamic state variable that, along with temperature and pressure, governs physical characteristics like the density and heat capacity of the water. These in turn are important for understanding ocean currents and heat exchange with the atmosphere.