PRACTICE SET 2

Questions 1221
If lhc salinity of occan waters is analyzed. it is found to vary only
slightly ftom place to placc. NcV0rtliClCsS, SOME OF these small changes ore
important. Tlicrc arc thrcc basic processes that cause a change in oceanic
salinity. One tit these is the subtraction of watcr tram the ocean by rrieans if
eYaporation-----conversion of liquid water to water vapor. In this manner, the
salinity is i nerea.scd, since the salts stay (ichind, If this is carried to tlic
cxtreme, of course, white crystals of salt would be lcft behind.
The opposite tl evaporation is precipitation, such as rain, by which watcr
is added to the ocean. Here the occan is bcing di lut:1 s that the salinity is
decreased, This niny occur in areas of high rainfall or in coastal regions
whcre rivers flow into the ocean. Thus, salinity may be incrcascd b) thc
subtraction of water by evaporation or decreased by the addition of
freshwater by precipitation or runoff.
OrlTllll y, in tropical rc-gions where the sun is t cry stating, thc ocean salinity is
somewhat higher than it is in other piirts ofthc world where there is not as much evaporation.
Similarly, in m sstal regions where rivers dilute the sen, salinity is somewhat tower than in
other oceanic ar:as.
A third proccss by which salinity may be altered is associatcJ with the formation
and melting of sea ice. When seawatci is frozen, the dissolved materials arc left
behind, In thi monncr, seawatei directly hciieuth trcsh ) formed sea ice hits a higher
salinity than it did before the ice appeared. Of course, w hcn this ice melts, it will tcnd to
decrease the salinity Jthc surrounding water.
In the Wendell Sca. off Antarctica, the densest water in the oceans is frmcd as
a rcsult ctthis freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water, This heavy
water sinks aad is found in the deeper portions attlic oceans of the world.

Reading Comprehension Section 41

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42 Official Guide to the TOEFL* ITP Test