Water Differences
Fresh, Salt, and Brackish
By: Caitlin Solosko
Fresh Water
- water containing less then 1,000 milligrams per liter of disolved solids, mainly salt
- 71% of Earths surface is covered in water; only 3% of that is freshwater
- 68.7% of the 3% freshwater on earths surface is frozen in mountain glaciers and ice caps, 30.1% is ground water, and 0.9% is from other sources
- there are 2 types of freshwater; static and flowing water
- static water can be any size and is most commonly ponds, or puddles left from rain
- flowing water can be any size as well, from a small stream to the long Mississippi River
- freshwater is necessary for all living things
Salt Water
- otherwise known as saline water, salt water is water that contains a significant amount of dissolved salts
- most often water from the oceans or seas
- of the 71% of water on Earths surface, 97% of it is salt water
- oceans average to have a saltinity of 3.5%, which means the sea water has around 35 grams of dissolved salts
- salt water in denser than freshwater and has a density of 1.025g/ml
- some sea life species must live in salt waters to survive
- humans cannot consume large amounts of salt water
Brackish Water
- brackish water is water that is more salty then fresh water, but not as salty as salt water
- usually only contains .5% dissolves salts
- mainly occurs when salt water and freshwater mix
- the most extensive brackish water habitats occur when a river meets the sea
- brackish water is the primary waste product salinity gradient power process(the energy available from the difference in salt concentration of seawater and salt water