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Salinity of Ocean Water

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If you were to view the planet Earth from space, you would see that most of its surface is covered by water. Most of this is ocean water which cannot be consumed. Why cant ocean water be consumed? The reason is that ocean water contains large amounts of salt, which make it undrinkable.

In this experiment, you will use a Conductivity Probe to measure the salinity of salt water. In Part I, you will measure the change in ocean salinity due to evaporation. In Part II, you will measure the change in salinity near the mouth of a river as it flows into an ocean.

OBJECTIVES

In this experiment, you will

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MATERIALS

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Measure salinity of water sample using Conductivity Probe. Determine the effect of evaporation on the salinity of ocean water. Determine the salinity change when a river flows into an ocean. Calculate salinity changes.

computer Vernier computer interface Logger Pro Conductivity Probe 2 aluminum pans large plastic tub medium plastic tub ring stand test tube clamp

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While the average salinity of ocean water is 35 ppt. there are several factors that can increase or decrease its salinity. At the polar regions, freezing of ocean water increases the salinity of the surrounding water. Evaporation in hot arid regions also increases the salinity. The Dead Sea, located in Israel, has a salinity nearly seven times that of most ocean water. At the oceans surface, rain, snow, and melting ice are all responsible for decreasing the salinity. As rivers enter the ocean, they carry large volumes of fresh water into the ocean, causing the salinity to decrease.

text book (5 to 10 cm thick) masking tape plastic tubing plastic syringe wash bottle with distilled water lamp with a 60 W (or greater) bulb 400 mL beaker 1.5 L saltwater 1 L distilled water

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Why is the ocean salty? When the earth was being formed, volcanoes ejected large amounts of lava and chemicals (including salts) into the oceans and atmosphere. Some of these salts dissolved in the water. Rain also washes salts from the land into the ocean. Over time the level of dissolved salts in the oceans increased to the level it is today.

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Salinity is a measurement of the saltiness or concentration of salt in water. Ocean water contains many different salts, but the most abundant is sodium chloride, also known as table salt. Sodium chloride makes up 86% of all the ions present in ocean water. Other salts that can be found in ocean water at significant levels are calcium chloride and magnesium chloride.

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PRE-LAB QUESTIONS
1. In Part I of this experiment, you will shine a light on an aluminum pan filled with saltwater. Another pan filled with saltwater will be kept out of the light. What do you predict will happen to the salinity in each pan?

Figure 1 2. In Part II of this experiment, you will setup two tubs of water. The freshwater from the smaller tub will slowly flow into the larger tub with saltwater. What do you predict will happen to the salinity in the larger tub?

Figure 2

PROCEDURE
1. Connect the Conductivity Probe to the Vernier computer interface. The switch on the Conductivity Probe should be on the 020000 S/cm setting. 2. Prepare the computer to collect data by opening the file 15 Salinity of Ocean from the Earth Science with Vernier folder. 3. Obtain 500 mL of the saltwater provided by your teacher.

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Salinity of Ocean Water 4. Measure the initial salinity of your saltwater. a. Rinse the probe with distilled water and gently blot it dry with a tissue. b. Lower the probe into the saltwater so that the hole in the probe end is completely submerged as shown in Figure 3. Swirl the solution briefly. c. Once the reading has stabilized, record the salinity in your data table. The units are parts per thousand, ppt. d. Rinse the probe with distilled water and gently blot it dry with a tissue. Part I Sunlight
Day 1

Figure 3

5. Obtain two aluminum pans and a desk lamp. 6. Set up the lamp and place one of the aluminum pans in front as shown in Figure 1. 7. Pour 250 mL of saltwater into the aluminum pan. 8. Turn on the lamp and position the bulb so that it is pointing down towards the pan. The lamp bulb should be positioned so that it is 10 cm from the water in the pan. 9. Place the second aluminum pan a few feet away from the light. Pour 250 mL of saltwater into this second pan and let both sit overnight.
Day 2

10. Turn off the desk lamp and slide the pan out from under the light. 11. Carefully pour the saltwater from the pan into a clean beaker. Label the beaker Light. 12. Carefully pour the saltwater from the second pan into a second beaker. Label this beaker No Light. 13. Repeat Steps 14 to measure the salinity of water in both beakers. Part II Freshwater Rivers 14. Repeat Steps 14, only this time, you will need 1 liter of saltwater instead of 500 mL. 15. Obtain two plastic tubs. Set Tub 1 (the smaller of the two if they are different sizes) on top of a textbook. Place Tub 2 on the table next to Tub 1 as shown in Figure 2. 16. Pour 1 liter of tap water into Tub 1. Pour 1 liter of saltwater into Tub 2. 17. Secure the Conductivity Probe to a ring stand using a test tube clamp as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4

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Computer 15 18. Gather a piece of plastic tubing and a plastic syringe. Connect the syringe to one end of the tubing. 19. Place the free end of the tubing under the water in Tub 1. Pull back the plunger of the syringe until you have drawn 5 mL of water into the syringe. Place the syringe under the water in Tub 2. 20. Tape the tubing in place on the edges of the tubs with masking tape. 21. Position the Conductivity Probe in Tub 2 so that it is 5 cm from the end of the tubing. Make sure the hole on the probe is fully submerged. 22. Click to begin the 10 minute data collection.

23. Carefully, under water, disconnect the syringe from the tubing. At this point water should be flowing out of Tub 1 and into Tub 2. The freshwater should be flowing into the tub filled with saltwater in much the same way that freshwater from a river flows into the ocean. Note: Do not move the probe or tubing during data collection.

Figure 5 24. When data collection is done after 10 minutes, click the Statistics button, , to display a Statistics box. Record the initial and final salinity values in your data table. 25. Print copies of the graph as directed by your teacher.

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Salinity of Ocean Water

DATA
Part I Pan 1 Light Initial salinity (ppt) Final salinity (ppt) Salinity change (ppt) Pan 2 No Light Part II Freshwater River

PROCESSING THE DATA

1. In the space provided in your data table, subtract to find the salinity changes. 2. Discuss how the salinity changed in Part I. Did you answer the Pre-Lab Question correctly?

3. Discuss how the salinity changed in Part II. Did you answer the Pre-Lab Question correctly?

4. Aquatic animals cannot survive in an environment where the salinity levels fluctuate greatly. Explain why the salinity levels in the ocean stay relatively constant.

5. Provide a geographical example of the process that took place in Part I?

6. Provide a geographical example of the process that took place in Part II?

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EXTENSIONS
1. Find a map of world-wide ocean salinities. Select two regions and explain why they are more or less saline than the 35 ppt average. 2. Obtain some actual ocean water and test its salinity. Hint: It will have to be diluted first.

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Vernier Lab Safety Instructions Disclaimer

THIS IS AN EVALUATION COPY OF THE VERNIER STUDENT LAB.

This copy does not include:

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Safety information Essential instructor background information Directions for preparing solutions Important tips for successfully doing these labs

The complete Earth Science with Vernier lab manual includes 33 labs, 6 projects, and essential teacher information. The full lab book is available for purchase at: http://www.vernier.com/cmat/esv.html

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