8 - Why Is the Sea Salty?

There is a lot of salt on the Earth, and it mixes very well with water.

There is some salt in all water. Water on the land runs into lakes and rivers. The water from most lakes goes into rivers. These rivers run into the seas and oceans. They carry a little salt with them. Some of the ocean water moves into the air and clouds. It evaporates. Salt cannot evaporate. It stays in the ocean.

The water in the oceans has more salt than the water in rivers. Ocean water is about 3.5% salt. Some seas have more salt than others. Some lakes do not have a river to carry the water and salt away. Some of the water evaporates, but the salt cannot. These lakes are very salty. There are two famous lakes like this. They are the Dead Sea in the Middle East and the Great Salt Lake in the state of Utah in the United States. They are much saltier than the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.