salinity

[ suh-lin-i-tee ]

noun

1. the quality or condition of being salty; saltiness:

   Ocean currents are driven by differences in the temperature and salinity of the water.

2. a measurement of the amount of salt in a given solution:

   Adding fresh water to a marsh lowers salinity.

Other Words From

• hy·per·sa·lin·i·ty noun
• non·sa·lin·i·ty noun
• sub·sa·lin·i·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of salinity¹

salin(e) ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

Coined “Weganool,” the plant’s fibers can be extracted without chemicals and it can be grown in soil with high salinity and little water — plus the liquid leftovers can be made into insect repellent.

From Ozy

Archaea often live in extreme environments, like hot springs and volcanic vents on the seafloor, characterized by high temperatures, high pressures, high salinity, high acidity or other threats.

From Quanta Magazine

Scientists knew that acoustic transmissions depend on water density, which, in the ocean, depends on temperature and salinity.

From Science News

Gliding about 50 meters above the seafloor, the AUV collected the first direct measurements of temperature, salinity and oxygen levels in the water.

From Science News

The subtropical convergence is an area of the ocean where temperature and salinity can change rapidly, and this can aggregate whale prey.

From Popular-Science

They exist in both fresh and salt water, and some species seem capable of thriving in brackish water of any degree of salinity.

From Project Gutenberg

Below the surface water is a zone in which temperature decreases and density and salinity increase with depth.

From Project Gutenberg

Knowledge of temperature, density, and salinity is important to understanding what happens to radionuclides in the ocean.

From Project Gutenberg

Its salinity is comparable to that of the eastern basin of the Mediterranean, which is greater than that of the Black Sea, viz.

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover, when they freeze a certain amount of salt leaves the ice and thereby increases the salinity of the surrounding water.

From Project Gutenberg