What is the saltiest sea. The freshest seas in Russia and in the world

Sea water covers two-thirds of our planet and has many unique properties. Main characteristics sea water - its salinity, which differs in different corners planets: from 41–42 g/l in the saltiest sea to 7 g/l in the freshest. The average salinity of the World Ocean is 34.7 g/l. What is the saltiest sea in the world?

The Red Sea is the saltiest sea in the world

It is the Red Sea that is known as the saltiest sea on our planet. The density of salts in its water is 41 g/l, which is a third higher than the average salt content in the World Ocean. But this does not bother its many inhabitants. The rich flora and fauna of the Red Sea attract thousands of tourists, especially lovers of underwater tourism - diving.

By the way, if someone decides to argue with you about which sea is the saltiest - the Dead Sea, whose waters contain 270 g/l of salts, or the Red Sea, you can confidently answer that it is Red. The fact is that the Dead Sea, despite its name, is a lake from a scientific point of view, since its waters have no drainage.

In turn, the Red Sea is distinguished by the fact that it does not have a single river that flows into it. This is one of the reasons why the water in it is so salty. The climate here is very dry and hot. Water evaporates at a tremendous speed - up to 2 thousand mm per year, but the salt remains. Rains are not able to replenish this amount of evaporation: in total, less than 100 mm of precipitation falls here per year. For comparison: in the central and northern parts of Kazakhstan, 300 falls per year. – 500 mm of precipitation, in Turkey - 400 – 700 mm, in Ukraine - 600 – 800 mm, in Central Africa - 1800– 3000 mm per year.

The Red Sea refers to the basin Indian Ocean. It would probably have dried up long ago if not for the Gulf of Aden, which allows it to exchange waters with the ocean. Currents move in both directions and replenish the water balance of the Red Sea by thousands of liters per year. On the other hand, it connects with Mediterranean Sea thanks to the Suez Canal. There is also a current here, although to an insignificant extent for the scale of the sea.

Sandwiched between the northeast coast of Africa and Arabian Peninsula, The Red Sea stretches for more than 2 thousand km. However, even at its widest point it remains narrower than many rivers - only 360 m. In some places its depth reaches 2.2 km, although the average depth of the saltiest sea in the world is only 437 m.

Despite its large extent, the salinity of the waters of the Red Sea has almost the same characteristics throughout its entire area (which, by the way, is 450 thousand km2). This is due to the unique natural mechanism of water mixing. In winter, the cooling water sinks to the bottom, and the retaining heat rises to the top. In summer, the water on the surface becomes heavier due to evaporation and increased salinity, so this giant mixer works all year round.

Hot depressions, discovered by scientists no more than half a century ago, contribute to the mixing of water. Observations of the temperature and composition of the waters in these depressions suggest that they are heated by heat coming from the bowels of the Earth. So, average temperature water in the Red Sea stays at 20 throughout the year – 25 °C, and in the depressions - 30 – 60 °C, and increases by 0.3 annually – 0.7 °C.

Rivers carry with them not only water, but also sand, silt and debris, so the Red Sea, as the only body of water in the world without river flow, retains the incredible clarity of its waters. This turns it into one of the most picturesque places on the planet. Coral reefs, thousands of species bright fish, numerous algae, including those that gave the sea its name - all this is worth seeing with your own eyes. It is important to note that about a third of the local inhabitants are endemic, which means they can only be found here.

The saltiest seas: list

The main contenders for the status of the saltiest seas in the world are:

Mediterranean Sea.

The second place in the list of the saltiest seas after the Red Sea is occupied by the Mediterranean Sea - 39.5 g/l. Although such salinity can only be felt far from the coast, it still significantly limits the development of small algae and zooplankton, increasing the transparency of sea waters. Like the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most warm seas planets: even in winter the water temperature here does not drop below 10 – 12 °C, and in summer it warms up to 25 – 28°C.

Aegean Sea.

The next in salinity is the Aegean Sea, which washes the shores of Greece and Turkey, as well as the famous island of Crete. Here the water contains an average of 38.5 g/l of salts, which are high in sodium. Doctors recommend that you rinse off after swimming in this sea to avoid corroding the surface layers of the skin.

Ionian Sea.

Another Greek sea is only slightly behind in salinity - the Ionian Sea, whose water contains on average 38 g/l of salts. Here, the high alkali content also forces tourists to be more careful about their skin. But high density (highest for seawater) combined with high temperature water (26 – 28 °C in summer) maintains the attractiveness of these places.

Ligurian Sea.

The Ligurian Sea also has a brine density of 38 g/l. This small sea with an area of only 15 thousand km2 is located between the island of Corsica and the Tuscan coast. The many streams flowing into it from the Apennines could not add freshwater to it.

Barents Sea.

The Barents Sea has a salinity of 35 g/l - the saltiest sea in Russia. It is located in the north of the European part of Russia and combines warm waters Atlantic Ocean and cold ones - the Arctic.

Also in the top ten saltiest seas are the Sea of Japan, known for its typhoons (37 – 38 g/l), Laptev Sea (34 g/l), Chukchi Sea (33 g/l) and White Sea (30 g/l).

Interestingly, the Aral Sea, located on the borders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which, like the Dead Sea, is more of a lake than a sea, may soon catch up with it in terms of water salinity. This reservoir, which in the mid-twentieth century occupied the 4th largest area among the planet’s lakes, became so shallow that its area decreased almost 10 times - from 68.9 thousand km2 to 7.3 thousand km2 - in 2014. During the same time, water salinity increased 10 times and in 2007 reached 100 g/l.

Despite the diversity, the salinity of waters in the World Ocean is much more stable - over the past 50 years, scientists have not been able to notice significant fluctuations. So, when your children and grandchildren begin to wonder which sea is the saltiest in the world, the answer will remain the same - Red. We wish you someday own skin feel the unique composition of its waters and see with your own eyes the diversity of its underwater inhabitants.

Red and Dead Sea

The saltiest seas in the world's oceans are the two seas: the Red and the Dead. At the same time, it is difficult to consider the Dead as a sea as such. It's more of a lake than a sea. Therefore, they are placed alternately in 1st and 2nd places when answering the question about the saltiest sea on the planet.

The world ocean is a single integral natural body that occupies 2/3 of the entire area of the globe. Sea water, of which it is composed, is the most abundant substance on the surface of the Earth. It differs from fresh water in its bitter-salty taste, specific gravity, transparency and color, and has a more aggressive effect on building materials and other properties. This is explained by the content in sea water more than 50 different components.

Theoretically, sea water contains all known chemical elements, but their weight content is different.

Of the total amount of dissolved substances, 99.6% are halide salts of sodium, potassium, magnesium and sulfates of magnesium and calcium, and only 0.4% of the salt composition accounts for the remaining substances. The table shows that only 13 elements of the “periodic table” are contained in quantities of more than 0.1 mg/l. Even those important for many processes in the ocean (especially for life marine organisms) elements such as phosphorus, iodine, iron, along with calcium, sulfur, carbon and some others, are contained in quantities less than 0.1 mg/l. Sea water also contains in the form of living matter and in the form of dissolved “inert” organic substances organic matter, amounting to a total value of about 2 mg/l.

Chlorine	19500
Carbon	20
Sulfur	910
Strontium	13
Sodium	10833
Bor	4,5
Potassium	390
Silicon	0,5
Magnesium	1311
Fluorine	1
Calcium	412
Rubidium	0,2
Bromine	65
Nitrogen	0,1

What determines the salinity of the sea?

The salt composition of sea water differs sharply from the salt composition of river water, but is close to the waters released during volcanic eruptions, or hot springs fed from deep bowels Earth. River water also contains dissolved substances, the amount of which very much depends on physical and geographical conditions.

The greater the amount of evaporation, the greater the salinity of sea water, since salts remain during evaporation. Changes in salinity are greatly influenced by oceanic and coastal currents, fresh water removal large rivers, mixing of waters of oceans and seas. In depth, salinity fluctuations occur only up to 1500 m; below that, salinity changes insignificantly.

Large-scale features of salinity distribution in the World Ocean have good stability. Over the past 50 years, no significant changes have been noticed in the salt state of the World Ocean, and it is generally accepted that its state is on average stationary.

Composition and features of the Red Sea

Red Sea. 1 liter of its water contains 41 g of salts. On average, no more than 100 mm falls over the sea per year atmospheric precipitation, while the amount of evaporation from its surface reaches 2000 mm per year. At complete absence In the river flow, this creates a constant deficit in the water balance of the sea, for the replenishment of which there is only one source - the supply of water from the Gulf of Aden. During the year, approximately 1,000 cubic meters are introduced into the sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. km of water is more than is removed from it. Moreover, according to calculations, it takes only 15 years for the complete exchange of Red Sea waters.

In the Red Sea, the water is very well and evenly mixed. In winter, surface waters cool, become denser and sink, while warm waters from the depths rise upward. In summer, water evaporates from the surface of the sea, and the remaining water becomes saltier, heavier and sinks. In its place rises less salt water. Thus, all year round the water in the sea is intensively mixed, and throughout its entire volume the sea is the same in temperature and salinity, except in the depressions.

The discovery of hot brine basins in the Red Sea was real scientific discovery 60s of the twentieth century. To date, more than 20 such depressions have been discovered in the deepest areas. The brine temperature is in the range of 30-60°C and increases by 0.3-0.7°C per year. This means that the depressions are heated from below by the internal heat of the Earth. Observers who dived into the depressions on submersibles said that the brines do not merge with surrounding water, but clearly differ from it and look like muddy soil covered with ripples, or like swirling fog. Chemical analyzes have shown that the content of many metals in brines, including precious ones, is hundreds and thousands of times higher than in ordinary sea water.

The absence of coastal runoff (or, more simply, rivers and rain streams), and therefore dirt from the land, ensures fabulous water transparency. The water temperature is stable all year round - 20-25°C. All these factors determined the richness and uniqueness sea life in the Red Sea.

Facts about the Dead Sea

Dead Sea located in Western Asia in Israel and Jordan. It is located in a tectonic depression formed as a result of the so-called Afro-Asian fault, which occurred in an era somewhere between the end of the Tertiary and the beginning Quaternary period, that is, more than 2 million years ago.

The area of the Dead Sea is 1050 square meters. m, depth 356 meters. It flows into the only river Jordan, but nutrition also occurs due to numerous mineral springs. The sea has no outlet and is drainless, therefore it is more correct to call it a lake.

The surface of the Dead Sea is 400 meters below sea level (the lowest point Globe). In its current shape, the Dead Sea has existed for more than 5,000 years, during which time a sedimentary silt layer more than 100 meters thick has accumulated on its bottom.

Over the years, under the hot rays of the sun, the water of the Dead Sea evaporated and minerals accumulated, increasing the salinity of the sea. These conditions largely determine the unique composition of the water and mud of the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea salinity

In terms of the composition of its salts, the Dead Sea differs sharply from all other seas on the planet. The salinity of the Dead Sea is 8 times higher than the salinity of the Atlantic Ocean and 40 times Baltic Sea. While in the waters of other seas the sodium chloride content makes up 77% of the total salt composition, in the waters of the Dead Sea its share is 25-30%, and the share of magnesium salts accounts for up to 50%, the bromine content is a record: 80 times higher, than in the Atlantic Ocean.

The high salinity of the Dead Sea water explains its high density, which is 1.3-1.4 g/cm3. The increase in water density with depth apparently creates the pushing effect when immersed in water. The water of the Dead Sea has a high content of trace elements such as copper, zinc, cobalt and others. Features of the Dead Sea water include: high value pH equal to 9.

Everyone has heard about healing properties Dead Sea. These qualities are explained primarily by the properties of water. That is why, when addressing the question of which sea is the best on the planet, the Dead Sea is first on the list of names.

It is located in a depression near two ancient states - Israel and Jordan. The concentration of salt in it reaches three hundred and forty grams of substance per liter of water, while the salinity reaches 33.7%, which is 8.6 times more than in the entire world ocean. It is the presence of such a concentration of salt that makes the water in this place so dense that it is simply impossible to drown in the sea.

Sea or lake?

The Dead Sea is also called a lake because it does not have access to the ocean. The reservoir is fed only by the Jordan River, as well as several drying up streams.

Due to the high concentration of salt in this lake there are no marine organisms - fish and plants, but they live in it different types bacteria and fungi.

Oomycetes are a group of organisms classified as mycelial.

In addition, approximately seventy species of oomycetes have been found here that can tolerate the maximum salinity of water. More than thirty types of minerals are also common in this sea, which include potassium, sulfur, magnesium, iodine and bromine. Such harmony chemical elements splashes out into very interesting formations of salt, which, unfortunately, are not durable.

Red Sea

Continuing this topic, it should be noted that the first position, along with Dead, is shared by Red, which is also characterized by a high salt content in the water.

It is widely believed that the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea at their junction do not mix, and are also strikingly different in color.

It is located between Asia and Africa in a tectonic depression, where the depth reaches three hundred meters. Rain in this region is extremely rare, only about one hundred millimeters per year, but evaporation from the sea surface is already two thousand millimeters. This imbalance causes increased salt formation. So, the salt concentration per liter of water is as much as forty-one grams.

It is worth noting that the concentration of salts in this place is constantly growing, since there is not a single body of water in the sea, but a lack of water mass compensated by the Gulf of Aden.

The uniqueness of these two seas has been known since ancient times and these territories are still very popular among the inhabitants of the planet. After all, the water in these lakes is healing.

Everyone knows firsthand that the water in the sea is salty. But most people will most likely find it difficult to answer the question of which sea is the saltiest on the planet. However, hardly a person thought about why the sea is salty and whether there is life in the saltiest sea in the world.

The world's oceans are one whole natural organism. On the planet, they occupy two-thirds of the entire earth's space. Well, sea water, which fills the world's oceans, is considered the most abundant substance on the surface of the Earth. It has a bitter-salty taste; it differs from fresh sea water in its transparency and color, specific gravity and aggressive effect on materials. And this is explained simply - sea water contains more than 50 different components.

The saltiest seas in the world

Scientists know for sure which seas are saltier and which are less salty. The liquid in the seas has already been studied and literally broken down into its components. And it turned out that the salty seas in Russia occupy the highest positions in the salinity ranking. So, the main contender for the status of the saltiest is the Barents Sea. This is because throughout the year the salinity of the surface layers fluctuates around 34.7-35 percent, however, if you deviate to the north and east, the percentage will decrease.

The White Sea is also characterized by high salinity. In the surface layers the figure stopped at 26 percent, but at depth it increases to 31 percent. In the Kara Sea, salinity is about 34 percent, however, it is heterogeneous and at the mouths of inflowing rivers the water becomes almost fresh. Another one of the saltiest seas in the world can be called the Laptev Sea. At the surface, salinity is recorded at 28 percent. The figure is even higher - 31-33 percent - in the Chukchi Sea. But this is in winter, in summer the salinity drops.

Which sea is saltier

By the way, everyone’s favorite Mediterranean Sea can also compete for the status of the saltiest in the world. Its salinity ranges from 36 to 39.5 percent. In particular, because of this, there is a weak quantitative development of phyto and zooplankton in the sea. However, despite this, the sea lives large number fauna representatives. Here you can meet seals, sea turtles, 550 species of fish, about 70 endemic fish, crayfish, as well as octopuses, crabs, lobsters, squids.

Certainly not saltier than the Mediterranean is another famous sea - the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea boasts a rich fauna - 1809 species. The sea is home to most of the world's sturgeon stocks, as well as freshwater fish(pike perch, carp and roach). Flora It is also very rich - there are 728 plant species in the Caspian Sea, but, of course, algae predominate. Interesting fact, in Karakalpakstan there is a unique natural object– Aral Sea. And him distinctive feature in that it can be called the second Dead Sea. Just half a century ago, the Aral Sea had standard salinity. However, as soon as water from the sea began to be taken for irrigation, salinity began to increase, and by 2010 it had increased 10 times. The Dead Sea is called not only because of its salinity, but also because many of its inhabitants Aral Sea died out as a protest against rising salinity levels.

Why are the seas salty?

Why are the seas salty? This question has interested people since ancient times. For example, according to a Norwegian legend, at the bottom of the sea there is an unusual mill that constantly grinds salt. Similar stories exist in the fairy tales of the inhabitants of Japan, the Philippines and Karelia. But according to the Crimean legend, the Black Sea is salty due to the fact that girls caught in Neptune’s net are forced to weave white lace for the waves at the bottom for centuries and constantly cry about native land. Because of the tears, the water became salty.

But according to a scientific hypothesis, salt water became a different path. All water in the seas and oceans comes from rivers. However, in the latter it flows fresh water. On average, 35 grams of salts are dissolved in one liter of the World Ocean. According to scientists, every grain of salt is washed out of the soil by river waters and sent to the sea. Over centuries and millennia, more and more salt has accumulated in the World Ocean. And she can’t go anywhere.

There is a version that the water in the oceans and seas was originally salty. The first body of water on the planet is supposedly full acid rain, which fell to earth as a result of a major volcanic eruption at the beginning of the planet’s life. Acids, according to scientists, corroded rocks, entered into agreements with them chemical compounds. In the end chemical reactions salt water appeared, which now fills the World Ocean.

The saltiest sea in the world

The saltiest sea in the world is called the Red Sea. One liter of its water contains 41 grams of salts. The sea has only one source of water - the Gulf of Aden. Over the course of a year, through the Bab-El Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea receives a thousand cubic kilometers of water more than it is removed from the sea. Therefore, according to researchers, it takes about 15 years for the waters of the Red Sea to be completely renewed.

The salty Red Sea is very well and evenly mixed. In winter, surface waters cool and sink, raising warm waters from sea depth. In summer, the water from the surface evaporates, the remaining water becomes salty and heavy, and therefore sinks down. It is not so salty water that rises up. Thus, the water is mixed. The sea is the same in salinity and temperature everywhere except in the depressions.

By the way, the discovery of depressions in the Red Sea with hot brine in the 60s of the last century was a real discovery for scientists. The brine in such depressions has a temperature of 30 to 60 degrees Celsius, and it rises by a maximum of 0.7 degrees per year. It turns out that the water is heated from the inside by “earthly” heat. And scientists say that the brine does not mix with sea water and differs from it in chemical parameters.

There is no coastal runoff (rivers or rainfall) in the Red Sea. As a result, there is no dirt from the land, but there is crystal clarity of the water. All year round the temperature stays at 20-25 degrees. This determined the wealth and uniqueness of marine life in the sea.

Why is the Red Sea the saltiest? Some say the saltiest is the Dead Sea. Its salinity is 40 times higher than the salinity of the Baltic Sea and 8 times the Atlantic Ocean. However, it is impossible to call the Dead Sea the saltiest, but it is considered the warmest.

The Dead Sea is located in Jordan and Israel in Western Asia. Its area is more than 605 square kilometers with a maximum depth of 306 meters. The only river that flows into this famous sea is the Jordan. There is no outlet to the sea, so according to science it would be more correct to call it a lake.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

1. Dead Sea

Salinity 270‰ The Dead Sea is the saltiest in the world, which is located on the border of Israel and Jordan. The mineral content is about 270 ‰, and the salt concentration per 1 liter reaches 200 grams. The composition of the salts of the sea differs significantly from all others. It consists of 50% magnesium chloride, and is also rich in potassium, bromine, calcium and many other mineral elements. Its water is artificially crystallized potassium salts. The water here has the highest density, which is 1.3-1.4 g/m³, which completely eliminates the possibility of drowning.

In addition to unique salts, the sea contains healing mud, which contains 45% salts. Its features are a high pH value of 9, as well as a bitter and oily taste. Sea temperatures can reach 40 degrees above zero, which creates intense evaporation and contributes to high density. If in other waters with high salinity there are diverse inhabitants, then in the waters of the Dead Sea it is impossible to meet them.