How Do We Define Salinity?

Tom Farrar

Associate Scientist
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Dr. Farrar received his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography. His research interests include air-sea interaction and exchange; dynamics and thermodynamics of the upper ocean; tropical dynamics and equatorial waves; oceanic internal waves and eddies; satellite oceanography; and ocean observing and instrumentation.

Webinar Clip
In this short clip, Dr. Farrar explains what scientists mean when they talk about ocean salinity. In defining salinity, we learn why scientists have recently conducted a massive research project in the North Atlantic, called Salinity Processes in the Upper ocean Regional Study (SPURS). With these new data, and with the help of NASA's Aquarius satellite mission, we are able to more closely observe salinity variations in this salty patch of ocean water.

Full webinar: Ocean Thinking: Balanced Budget? Oh, Buoy!

Click here for a transcript of this clip (PDF, 46.8 KB).

Resources
Applicable Science Standards
  • Asking Questions and Defining Problems Asking Questions and Defining Problems. A practice of science is to ask and refine questions that lead to descriptions and explanations of how the natural and designed world(s) works and which can be empirically tested.
  • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. Scientists and engineers plan and carry out investigations in the field or laboratory, working collaboratively as well as individually. Their investigations are systematic and require clarifying what counts as data and identifying variables or parameters.
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanatory accounts of the world. A theory becomes accepted when it has multiple lines of empirical evidence and greater explanatory power of phenomena than previous theories.