The purpose of this resource is to measure the salinity of the water at your hydrology site. Students use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the water sample, and use a thermometer to measure the temperature. With these two values, students will use tables to determine the salinity. Full description.

The purpose of this resource is to measure the salinity of the water using a salinity titration kit. Students will measure the salinity of saltwater using a salinity titration kit. Full description.

Online in 2009, the Aquarius instrument will measure sea surface salinity. Site provides background information about salinity, salinity lesson plans, and salinity data and tools. Activities include relating salt to density, conductivity, buoyancy, and understanding the effect of the water cycle on salinity. View figures of sea surface salinity and temperature as they change from month to month and ... Full description.

The educational resources and activities on this Web site teach fundamental concepts about salinity variations and the role these changes play in controlling global ocean circulation and Earth?s climate. The modules augment existing El Nino/La Nina materials with salinity-based content, provide on-line interactive tools demonstrating environmental change through data sets and in situ time-series analysis, ... Full description.

This resource uses text, images, maps and a laboratory exercise to explain how differences in the temperature and salinity of ocean water cause the formation of deep-ocean currents. It is part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's "Ocean Surface Topography from Space" website. This material is also available on the "Visit to An Ocean Planet" CD-ROM. Full description.

This resource introduces students to the idea of saline water. Topics include how saline water is defined and how dissolved salt concentrations are expressed (parts per million). Parameters for the various ranges of salinity (fresh to highly saline, or seawater) are also presented, and there is a brief discussion of water quality considerations regarding saline water. Links to additional information ... Full description.

In this activity students work as a team to determine the effect salt has on plant germination. They then use their lab data to create a report on how the increasing salt concentrations affected the germination of the seeds and at what salt concentration no seeds will germinate. Students will discover that salt buildup is an existing or potential hazard on almost all of the 42 million acres of irrigated ... Full description.

Well written and easy-to-understand primer with definition and measurements of salinity. Explains the origin of the ocean, sources of salts and processes affecting its chemical composition, including the hydrologic cycle. Introduces the complexity of salinity, many constituents of seawater, and variability of ocean salinity worldwide. Discusses the compounds that marine plants and animals extract ... Full description.

This site explains how temperature, pressure, and salinity work together to determine the density of ocean water. The three density layers of the ocean are described by means of text description and a graphic illustration. Full description.

This reference discusses the composition and chemistry of seawater, and how they affect organisms in the sea. Topics include salinity, temperature, density, dissolved gases, dissolved nutrients, and pH. Full description.