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Salinity is an ecological factor of considerable importance, influencing the types of organisms that live in a body of water. As well, salinity influences the kinds of plants that will grow either in a water body, or on land fed by a water (or by a groundwater). [19] A plant adapted to saline conditions is called a halophyte.
As salinity increases within a freshwater ecosystem, often this results in a decrease of biota diversity and richness. [19] The extinction rate for freshwater organisms are among the highest worldwide, [3] and as salinity levels in these aquatic ecosystems continue to increase, more species and their environments will become threatened.
Salinity from irrigation can occur over time wherever irrigation occurs, since almost all water (even natural rainfall) contains some dissolved salts. [5] When the plants use the water, the salts are left behind in the soil and eventually begin to accumulate. This water in excess of plant needs is called the leaching fraction.
Soil salinity; Salinity of bodies of water; Freshwater salinization-- increases in water salinity due to water pollution This page was last edited on 4 ...
The USGS salinity scale defines three levels of saline water. The salt concentration in slightly saline water is 1,000 to 3,000 ppm (0.1–0.3%); in moderately saline water is 3,000 to 10,000 ppm (0.3–1%); and in highly saline water is 10,000 to 35,000 ppm (1–3.5%).
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, [1] [2] is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root brak.
[clarification needed] When the temperature of the water increases, the distance between water parcels will increase and hence the density will decrease. Salinity is a measure of the mass of dissolved solids, which consist mainly of salt. Increasing the salinity will increase the density.
The water underneath becomes saltier and colder, leading to an increase in density. This parcel of water in the Okhotsk Sea is referred to as dense shelf water (DSW). The saltier and colder a water parcel is, the denser it becomes, causing it to sink below other parcels of water. For this reason, the DSW will begin to sink within the water column.