Salt is dissolved from the Earth and transported by rivers in oceans and seas.
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No, they havn't always been salty. The sea gets salty because when rain falls on the land it gets absorbed into the soil. It keeps going until it enters a stream or river. On its journey to the river or even in the river on the journey to the sea, it collects minerals, one of those is salt! So, before it had ever rained, you could actually drink the sea!
When the earth formed, those minerals from which it was made that are readily soluble (such as sodium chloride - salt, but also other minerals) in water dissolved into the water found on the planet. This water filled the lowest depressions to make the oceans and these oceans were and are salty.
Yes, oceans are getting saltier due to various factors such as increased evaporation, reduced freshwater input from rivers, and melting ice caps which release more salt into the ocean. This increase in salinity can have impacts on marine ecosystems and weather patterns.
All rivers, streams and such, lead to the ocean. As the streams flow, they simply pick up salt from rocks, and other such stuff that may have salt, and carry to the ocean. so graduelly the ocean gets saltier every year. Another answer: I heard or read somewhere, that as mankind harnesses the water from the major rivers, less fresh water reaches the oceans. This, in turn, makes the ocean salt levels higher, because there is less fresh water to dilute the salt content.
Many of the minerals that are leached from the land by run-off, are the materials that comprise the salts in the ocean.
Polar water may appear saltier due to the formation of sea ice during the winter. When sea ice forms, the salt is pushed out, making the surrounding water saltier. Additionally, the decrease in temperature in polar regions can cause higher density seawater, which can result in saltier water.
The terms "sea" and "ocean" are often used interchangeably, but the ocean is generally saltier overall due to its larger size and higher evaporation rates. However, there can be variation in salinity levels between different seas and oceans based on factors like climate and proximity to freshwater sources.
Erosion
Oceans tend to be saltier than freshwater bodies such as lakes and rivers. This is because oceans contain dissolved salts from minerals in the Earth's crust and are constantly receiving runoff from land that carries more salts into the ocean.
Evaporation makes water saltier because when water evaporates, only the pure water molecules escape, leaving the salt and other impurities behind. This concentrates the amount of salt in the remaining water, making it saltier.