More Than Half Of This Earth Is Covered By Salt

In chemistry, salt is an ionic compound consisting of positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions), thus forming a neutral compound (without charge). Salt is formed from the reaction of acids and bases. The cation and anion components may be inorganic compounds such as chloride (Cl-), and may also be organic compounds such as acetate (CH3COO-) and monoatomic ions such as fluoride (F-), as well as polyatomic ions such as sulfates (SO42-). The salt chemical formula is Sodium Chloride (NaCl), the main ingredient of salt is a salt.

About 70% of the area on the surface of our earth is covered by water. Discussion about this salt content is in sea water. Sea water contains salt, dissolved gas, organic matter, and unsolved particles. The salt sea water is of course because it contains a lot of salt. Salt comes from the weathering process of rocks found on land, thus dissolving and flowing with river water or swamp water, and then emptying into the open sea.

*Evaporation is more frequent then the water will be more salty. But, fresh water also contains organic mineral compounds, one of which is salt. As the water evaporates, the sediment takes place on the ocean floor. The more salt settles, the water becomes salty.*

*The more fresh water entering, the salt level becomes decreased. Apart from the beach, fresh water generally comes from rain water. In the coastal areas, fresh water comes from rivers and swamps. While at the poles, fresh water comes from melting ice.*

*The presence of mixing water from the surface, and water from within with different salt levels, can decrease sea salt content.*

Sea salinity measurements were conducted to study the characteristics of the ocean. The five oceans in the world have their own characteristics. The term used to measure the salinity of the oceans is halinity, based on halides, especially chlorides. In oceanography, the salinity unit is not a percent (%), but "parts per thousand" is abbreviated as ppt, or so-called permilon (‰). That is, the amount of salt in a liter of solution. Measuring salinity there are several ways:

*It is a commonly used salinity measure. The principle of this tool uses a refraction index of light to determine the level of water salinity. Because it requires direct light to get its refraction index, the measurements should be done outdoors or in the sun.*

*Salinometer is a measure of water density. The working principle of the appliance is based on the electrical conductivity that can be produced by the liquid being tested. If the strength is large, then the salinity is high, and vice versa.*

*It is a practical and accurate digital measuring instrument. Usually used to observe very small changes in the salinity water under test. Portable salinity meter can be taken anywhere, and its usage is very easy.*

If you have ever heard the term dead sea, it is the lowest salt lake among the entire surface of the earth. For this reason, dead sea waters can not flow out and make seven million tons of water to evaporate every day and make the water there salty. The salt content in the ocean is about 30%, meaning nine times saltier than regular seawater.

Benefits of high salt content is an abundance of mineral and gas content that is beneficial to humans. Among these minerals are magnesium, zinc, sodium, bromide, sulfur, potassium, and calcium. The benefits of these minerals are very good for the skin, such as helping the skin metabolism, improve premeabilitas, provide relaxation effects, as disinfectants, increase oxidation and electrical processes in muscle or potassium, and clean the skin pores.

In addition, the process of filter and deposition, it will arise salt crystals used for daily human activities, such as cooking and more. Measuring salinity of seawater can predict fish density at sea. That is, at a certain salinity level, fishermen can catch fish according to their location.

While the impact of salinity itself is the growth and breeding of disturbed marine animals. If the salinity of seawater does not match the salinity of body cells, it will inhibit the growth process. In addition, sea water can have nutrients that can be used for soil and plants. However, if the salinity level is too high, this can cause the dispersion of the soil. As a result, aggregates of ruptured soils, small minerals and organic particles actually clog the soil pores and result in reduced water flow into the soil. Then this will cause changes in soil porosity conditions and reduce water permeability.