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The wind-driven circulation is strongest in the surface layer. The thermohaline circulation is more sluggish, with a typical speed of 1 cm (0.4 inch) per second, but this flow extends to the seafloor and forms circulation patterns that envelop the global ocean.
There are five major ocean-wide gyres—the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean gyres. Each is flanked by a strong and narrow “western boundary current,” and a weak and broad “eastern boundary current” (Ross, 1995).
In a story from the Philippines a man has ordered large blocks of salt to be carried across the sea to build a great white mansion. The Ocean is angry at being disturbed and sends a great wave to knock the bricks into the sea – where they dissolved and so the sea is salty.
Salt in the ocean comes from two sources: runoff from the land and openings in the seafloor. Rocks on land are the major source of salts dissolved in seawater. Rainwater that falls on land is slightly acidic, so it erodes rocks. The heated water is released through vents in the seafloor, carrying the metals with it.
The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth. For several decades in the mid-20th century, the standard value given for the surface level of the lake was some 1,300 feet (400 metres) below sea level.
So one of the major processes that removes salt from seawater is hydrothermal circulation through young ocean crust. So the first reaction that happens is the magnesium, that major element in seawater, is stripped out to form clay minerals in the crust. So magnesium is stripped from seawater.
If you have collected water from the ocean, boil it for five minutes to kill the microscopic life in the water. Taste the salt water. It is not necessary to drink any of it. You may spit it out after tasting.
Humans cannot drink saline water, but, saline water can be made into freshwater, for which there are many uses. The process is called “desalination”, and it is being used more and more around the world to provide people with needed freshwater.
Why can’t people drink sea water? Seawater is toxic to humans because your body is unable to get rid of the salt that comes from seawater. Your body normally gets rid of excess salt by having the kidneys produce urine, but it needs freshwater to dilute the salt in your body for the kidneys to work properly.
The main risks of drinking only distilled water are associated with the lack of dissolved minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. Some of the adverse effects of drinking just distilled or low mineral water include: a flat taste that many people find unappealing, leading to reduced water consumption.