Sea water covers two-thirds of our planet and has many unique properties. Main characteristics sea ​​water- its salinity, which differs in different parts of the planet: from 41–42 g/l in the saltiest sea to 7 g/l in the freshest. The average salinity of the World Ocean is 34.7 g/l. What is the saltiest sea in the world?

The Red Sea is the saltiest sea in the world

It is the Red Sea that is known as the saltiest sea on our planet. The density of salts in its water is 41 g/l, which is a third higher than the average salt content in the World Ocean. But this does not bother its many inhabitants. The rich flora and fauna of the Red Sea attract thousands of tourists, especially lovers of underwater tourism - diving.

By the way, if someone decides to argue with you about which sea is the saltiest - the Dead Sea, whose waters contain 270 g/l of salts, or the Red Sea, you can confidently answer that it is Red. The fact is that the Dead Sea, despite its name, is from a scientific point of view a lake, since its waters have no drainage.

In turn, the Red Sea is distinguished by the fact that it does not have a single river that flows into it. This is one of the reasons why the water in it is so salty. The climate here is very dry and hot. Water evaporates at a tremendous speed - up to 2 thousand mm per year, but the salt remains. Rains are not able to replenish this amount of evaporation: in total, less than 100 mm of precipitation falls here per year. For comparison: in the central and northern parts of Kazakhstan, 300 falls per year. – 500 mm of precipitation, in Turkey - 400 – 700 mm, in Ukraine - 600 – 800 mm, in Central Africa - 1800 – 3000 mm per year.

The Red Sea refers to the basin Indian Ocean. It would probably have dried up long ago if not for the Gulf of Aden, which allows it to exchange waters with the ocean. Currents move in both directions and replenish water balance Red Sea for thousands of liters per year. On the other hand, it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea thanks to the Suez Canal. There is also a current here, although to an insignificant extent for the scale of the sea.

Sandwiched between the northeastern coast of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Red Sea stretches for more than 2 thousand km. However, even at its widest point it remains narrower than many rivers - only 360 m. In some places its depth reaches 2.2 km, although the average depth of the saltiest sea in the world is only 437 m.

Despite great length, the salinity of the waters of the Red Sea has almost the same characteristics over its entire area (which, by the way, is 450 thousand km2). This is due to the unique natural mechanism of water mixing. In winter, the cooling water sinks to the bottom, and the retaining heat rises to the top. In summer, the water on the surface becomes heavier due to evaporation and increased salinity, so this giant mixer works all year round.

Hot depressions, discovered by scientists no more than half a century ago, contribute to the mixing of water. Observations of the temperature and composition of the waters in these depressions suggest that they are heated by heat coming from the bowels of the Earth. Thus, the average water temperature in the Red Sea throughout the year remains at 20 – 25 °C, and in the depressions - 30 – 60 °C, and increases by 0.3 annually – 0.7 °C.

Rivers carry with them not only water, but also sand, silt and debris, so the Red Sea, as the only body of water in the world without river flow, retains the incredible clarity of its waters. This turns it into one of the most picturesque places on the planet. Coral reefs, thousands of species of colorful fish, numerous algae, including those that give the sea its name - all this is worth seeing with your own eyes. It is important to note that about a third of the local inhabitants are endemic, which means they can only be found here.

The saltiest seas: list

The main contenders for the status of the saltiest seas in the world are:

Mediterranean Sea.

The second place in the list of the saltiest seas after the Red Sea is occupied by the Mediterranean Sea - 39.5 g/l. Although such salinity can only be felt far from the coast, it still significantly limits the development of small algae and zooplankton, increasing the transparency of sea waters. Like the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most warm seas planets: even in winter the water temperature here does not drop below 10 – 12 °C, and in summer it warms up to 25 – 28°C.

Aegean Sea.

The next in salinity is the Aegean Sea, which washes the shores of Greece and Turkey, as well as the famous island of Crete. Here the water contains an average of 38.5 g/l of salts, which are high in sodium. Doctors recommend that you rinse off after swimming in this sea to avoid corroding the surface layers of the skin.

Ionian Sea.

Another Greek sea is only slightly behind in salinity - the Ionian Sea, whose water contains on average 38 g/l of salts. Here, the high alkali content also forces tourists to be more careful about their skin. But high density (highest for seawater) combined with high temperature water (26 – 28 °C in summer) maintains the attractiveness of these places.

Ligurian Sea.

Density saline solution The Ligurian Sea also has 38 g/l. This small sea with an area of ​​only 15 thousand km2 is located between the island of Corsica and the Tuscan coast. The many streams flowing into it from the Apennines could not add freshwater to it.

Barencevo sea.

The Barents Sea has a salinity of 35 g/l - the saltiest sea in Russia. It is located in the north of the European part of Russia and combines the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Also in the top ten saltiest seas are the Sea of ​​Japan, known for its typhoons (37 – 38 g/l), Laptev Sea (34 g/l), Chukchi Sea (33 g/l) and White Sea (30 g/l).

Interestingly, the Aral Sea, located on the borders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which, like the Dead Sea, is more of a lake than a sea, may soon catch up with it in terms of water salinity. This reservoir, which in the mid-twentieth century occupied the 4th largest area among the planet’s lakes, became so shallow that its area decreased almost 10 times - from 68.9 thousand km2 to 7.3 thousand km2 - in 2014. During the same time, water salinity increased 10 times and in 2007 reached 100 g/l.

Despite the diversity, the salinity of the waters in the World Ocean is much more stable - over the past 50 years, scientists have not been able to notice significant fluctuations. So, when your children and grandchildren begin to wonder which sea is the saltiest in the world, the answer will remain the same - Red. We wish you to someday experience the unique composition of its waters on your own skin and see with your own eyes the diversity of its underwater inhabitants.

Our planet is the owner of about 80 seas, which together make up a certain part of the World Ocean. All sea water is, to a greater or lesser extent, salty. Our top 10 saltiest seas in the world will tell you about those bodies of water whose waters have the maximum saturation with salts.

10 White Sea

9 Chukchi Sea

8 Laptev Sea

7 Sea of ​​Japan

6 Barents Sea

5 Ionian Sea

4 Aegean Sea

3 Mediterranean Sea

2 Red Sea

1 Dead Sea

Rating of seas by salinity

There are about 80 seas on our planet. Of course, the Dead Sea would take first place in the ranking, since its waters are famous for their salinity. The Dead Sea is one of the most salty waters lakes on Earth, salinity is 300-310 ‰, in some years up to 350 ‰. But scientists call this body of water a lake.

1. Red Sea with a salinity of 42‰.

The Red Sea is located between the shores of Africa and Asia. The Red Sea, in addition to its salinity and warmth, boasts its transparency. Many tourists love to relax on its shores.

2. The Mediterranean Sea has a salinity of 39.5‰.

The Mediterranean Sea washes the shores of Europe and Africa. In addition to salinity, it can also boast of its warm waters– in summer they warm up to 25 degrees above zero.

3. Aegean Sea with a salinity of 38.5‰.

The waters of this sea with a high concentration of sodium can cause skin irritation. Therefore, after swimming it is better to take a fresh shower. In summer, the water warms up to 24 degrees Celsius. Its waters wash the shores of the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor and the island of Crete.

4 . Ionian Sea with a salinity of 38 ‰.

This is the densest and saltiest Greek sea. Its waters allow slow swimmers to hone this skill, as the high density will help keep the body afloat. The area of ​​the Ionian Sea is 169 thousand square kilometers. It washes the shores of Southern Italy, Albania and Greece.

5 . The Sea of ​​Japan, whose salinity is 35‰

The sea is located between the continent of Eurasia and the Japanese islands. Its waters also wash the island of Sakhalin. Water temperature depends on geographical location: in the north – 0 -+12 degrees, in the south – 17-26 degrees. Square Sea of ​​Japan more than 1 million square kilometers.

6. Barents Sea with salinity 34.7-35 ‰

This is the marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. It washes the shores of Russia and Norway.

7. Laptev Sea with a salinity of 34‰.

Area - 662 thousand square kilometers. It is located between the New Siberian Islands and Severnaya Zemlya. The average annual water temperature is 0 degrees Celsius.

8. Chukchi Sea with a salinity of 33‰.

In winter, the salinity of this sea rises to 33‰, while in summer the salinity decreases slightly. The Chukchi Sea has an area of ​​589.6 thousand km². average temperature in summer - 12 degrees Celsius, and in winter - almost 2 degrees Celsius.

9. White Sea also different high salinity. In the surface layers the figure stopped at 26 percent, but at depth it increases to 31 percent.

10. Laptev Sea. Salinity at the surface is recorded at 28 percent

The sea has a harsh climate with temperatures below 0°C for more than nine months of the year, sparse flora and fauna, and low population along the coast. Most of the time, with the exception of August and September, it is under ice. The salinity of sea water at the surface in the northwestern part of the sea in winter is 34 ‰ (ppm), in the southern part - up to 20-25 ‰, decreasing in summer to 30-32 ‰ and 5-10 ‰, respectively. The salinity of surface waters is strongly influenced by the melting of ice and the runoff of Siberian rivers.

3. Characteristics of the oceanic aquatic environment.

© Vladimir Kalanov,
"Knowledge is power".

The oceanic environment, that is, sea water, is not just a substance known to us from birth, which is hydrogen oxide H 2 O. Sea water is a solution of a wide variety of substances. Almost all known chemical elements are found in the waters of the World Ocean in the form of various compounds.

Most of all chlorides are dissolved in sea water (88.7%), among which sodium chloride predominates, that is, ordinary table salt NaCl. Sea water contains significantly less sulfates, that is, sulfuric acid salts (10.8%). All other substances account for only 0.5% of the total salt composition of seawater.

After sodium salts, magnesium salts are in second place in sea water. This metal is used in the manufacture of light and strong alloys needed in mechanical engineering, especially in aircraft construction. Each cubic meter of sea water contains 1.3 kilograms of magnesium. The technology for its extraction from sea water is based on the conversion of its soluble salts into insoluble compounds and their precipitation with lime. The cost of magnesium obtained directly from sea water turned out to be significantly lower than the cost of this metal, previously mined from ore materials, in particular dolomite.

It is worth noting that bromine, discovered in 1826 by the French chemist A. Balard, is not found in any mineral. Bromine can only be obtained from sea water, where it is contained in relatively small quantities - 65 grams per cubic meter. Bromine is used in medicine as a sedative, as well as in photography and petrochemistry.

Already at the end of the 20th century, the ocean began to provide 90% of the world's bromine and 60% of magnesium production. Sodium and chlorine are extracted from seawater in significant quantities. As for table salt, people have long received it from sea water by evaporation. Marine salt mines still operate in tropical countries, where salt is obtained directly from shallow areas of the coast, fencing them off from the sea with dams. The technology here is not very complicated. The concentration of table salt in water is higher than other salts, and therefore during evaporation it is the first to precipitate. The crystals that have settled at the bottom are removed from the so-called mother liquor and washed with fresh water to remove residual magnesium salts, which give the salt a bitter taste.

More advanced technology for extracting salt from sea water is used in numerous saltworks in France and Spain, which supply large volumes of salt not only to the European market. For example, one of the new ways to obtain salt is to install special seawater sprayers in saltworks pools. Water turned into dust (suspension) has a huge area of ​​evaporation and from the smallest drops it evaporates instantly, and only salt falls on the ground.

The extraction of table salt from seawater will continue to increase, because deposits of rock salt, like other minerals, will sooner or later be depleted. Currently, about a quarter of all table salt needed by humanity is mined in the sea, the rest is mined in salt mines.

Sea water also contains iodine. But the process of obtaining iodine directly from water would be completely unprofitable. Therefore, iodine is obtained from dried brown algae, growing in the ocean.

Even gold is found in ocean water, although in tiny quantities - 0.00001 grams per cubic meter. There is a well-known attempt by German chemists in the 1930s to extract gold from the waters of the German Sea (as the North Sea is often called in German). However, it was not possible to fill the Reichsbank vaults with gold bars: production costs would exceed the cost of gold itself.

Some scientists suggest that in the next few decades it may become economically feasible to obtain heavy hydrogen (deuterium) from the sea, and then humanity will be provided with energy for millions of years to come... But uranium from sea water is already being mined on an industrial scale. Since 1986, the world's first plant for extracting uranium from sea water has been operating on the shores of the Inland Sea of ​​Japan. The complex and expensive technology is designed to produce 10 kg of metal per year. To obtain such an amount of uranium, it is necessary to filter and subject to ion processing more than 13 million tons of sea water. But the Japanese, who are persistent in their work, get the job done. In addition, they are well aware of what atomic energy is. -)

An indicator of the amount of chemical substances dissolved in water is a special characteristic called salinity. Salinity is the mass of all salts contained in 1 kg of sea water, expressed in grams.. Salinity is measured in parts per thousand, or ppm (‰). On the surface of the open ocean, salinity fluctuations are small: from 32 to 38‰. The average surface salinity of the World Ocean is about 35‰ (more precisely, 34.73‰).

The waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans have a salinity slightly above average (34.87‰), and the waters of the Indian Ocean are slightly lower (34.58‰). This is where the desalination effect comes into play. Antarctic ice. For comparison, we point out that the usual salinity of river waters does not exceed 0.15‰, which is 230 times less than the surface salinity of sea water.

The least saline waters in the open ocean are the waters of the polar regions of both hemispheres. This is explained by the melting of continental ice, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, and large volumes of river flows in the Northern Hemisphere.

Salinity increases towards the tropics. The highest concentration of salts is observed not at the equator, but in latitude bands 3°-20° south and north of the equator. These bands are sometimes called salinity belts.

The fact that in equatorial zone The surface salinity of the water is relatively low, due to the fact that the equator is an area of ​​heavy tropical rains that desalinate the water. Often, near the equator, dense clouds block the ocean from direct sun rays, which reduces water evaporation at such moments.

In marginal and especially inland seas, salinity differs from that of the ocean. For example, in the Red Sea, the surface salinity of water reaches the highest values ​​in the World Ocean - up to 42‰. This is explained simply: the Red Sea is located in a zone of high evaporation, and it communicates with the ocean through the shallow and narrow Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and does not receive fresh water from the continent, since not a single river flows into this sea, and rare rains unable to desalinate the water to any noticeable extent.

The Baltic Sea, extending far inland, communicates with the ocean through several small and narrow straits, is located in a temperate climate zone and receives the waters of many large rivers and small rivers. Therefore, the Baltic is one of the most desalinated basins of the World Ocean. The surface salinity of the central part of the Baltic Sea is only 6-8 ‰, and in the north, in the shallow Gulf of Bothnia, it even drops to 2-3 ‰).

Salinity changes with depth. This is explained by the movement of subsurface waters, that is, the hydrological regime of a particular basin. For example, in the equatorial latitudes of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, below a depth of 100-150 m, layers of very saline waters (above 36 ‰) can be traced, which are formed due to the transfer of saltier tropical waters by deep countercurrents from the western margins of the oceans.

Salinity changes sharply only to depths of about 1500 m. Below this horizon, almost no fluctuations in salinity are observed. At greater depths of different oceans, salinity indicators converge. Seasonal changes in salinity on the surface of the open ocean are insignificant, no more than 1 ‰.

Experts consider a salinity anomaly to be the salinity of water in the Red Sea at a depth of about 2000 m, which reaches 300 ‰.

The main method for determining the salinity of sea water is the titration method. The essence of the method is that a certain amount of silver nitrate (AgNO 3) is added to the water sample, which, in combination with sodium chloride of sea water, precipitates in the form of silver chloride. Since the ratio of the amount of sodium chloride to other substances dissolved in water is constant, by weighing the precipitated silver chloride, you can quite simply calculate the salinity of the water.

There are other ways to determine salinity. Since, for example, indicators such as the refraction of light in water, the density and electrical conductivity of water depend on its salinity, then, having determined them, it is possible to measure the salinity of the water.

Taking samples of sea water to determine its salinity or other indicators is not an easy task. To do this, they use special samplers - bathometers, which allow taking samples from different depths or from different layers of water. This process requires a lot of attention and caution from hydrologists.

So, the main processes affecting the salinity of water are the rate of water evaporation, the intensity of mixing of more saline waters with less saline ones, as well as the frequency and intensity of precipitation. These processes are determined climatic conditions one or another area of ​​the World Ocean.

In addition to these processes, the salinity of sea water is influenced by the proximity of melting glaciers and the volume of fresh water brought by rivers.

Overall percentage various salts in sea water in all regions of the ocean almost always remains the same. However, in some places, marine organisms have a noticeable influence on the chemical composition of sea water. They use many substances dissolved in the sea for their nutrition and development, although in various quantities. Some substances, such as phosphates and nitrogenous compounds, are consumed in particularly large quantities. In areas where there are many marine organisms, the content of these substances in the water decreases somewhat. A noticeable influence on the chemical processes occurring in sea water is exerted by the smallest organisms that make up the plankton. They drift along the surface of the sea or in the near-surface layers of water and, dying, slowly and continuously fall to the bottom of the ocean.

Salinity of the World Ocean. Current monitoring map(increase) .

What is the total salt content in the World Ocean? Now answering this question is not at all difficult. Assuming that total of water in the World Ocean is 1370 million cubic kilometers, and the average concentration of salts in sea water is 35‰, that is, 35 g in one liter, which means that one cubic kilometer contains approximately 35 thousand tons of salt. Then the amount of salt in the World Ocean will be expressed by the astronomical figure of 4.8 * 10 16 tons (that is, 48 ​​quadrillion tons).

This means that even the active extraction of salts for domestic and industrial needs will not be able to change the composition of seawater. In this regard, the ocean, without exaggeration, can be considered inexhaustible.

Now we need to answer an equally important question: where does so much salt come from in the ocean?

For many years, science was dominated by the hypothesis that rivers brought salt to the sea. But this hypothesis, at first glance quite convincing, turned out to be scientifically untenable. It has been established that every second the rivers of our planet carry about a million tons of water into the ocean, and their annual flow is 37 thousand cubic kilometers. It takes 37 thousand years for the water in the World Ocean to be completely renewed - in about this time the ocean can be filled with river flow. And if we accept that in the geological history of the Earth there were at least one hundred thousand such periods, and the content of salts in river water in the average approximation is about 1 gram per liter, then it turns out that during the entire geological history of the Earth about 1. 4*10 20 tons of salts. And according to the scientists’ calculations, which we just cited, 4.8 * 10 16 tons of salt are dissolved in the World Ocean, that is, 3 thousand times less. But it's not only that. Chemical composition salts dissolved in river water differs sharply from the composition sea ​​salt. If in sea water the compounds of sodium and magnesium with chlorine absolutely predominate (89% of the dry residue after evaporation of water and only 0.3% is calcium carbonate), then in river water calcium carbonate takes first place - over 60% of the dry residue, and sodium chlorides and magnesium together – only 5.2 percent.

Scientists are left with one assumption: the ocean became salty during its birth. The most ancient animals could not exist in weakly salted, much less freshwater, pools. This means that the composition of sea water has not changed since its inception. But where did the carbonates that came into the ocean along with river runoff for hundreds of millions of years go? The only correct answer to this question was given by the founder of biogeochemistry, the great Russian scientist Academician V.I. Vernadsky. He argued that almost all calcium carbonate, as well as silicon salts carried by rivers into the ocean, are immediately extracted from solution by those marine plants and animals that need these minerals for their skeletons, shells and shells. As these living organisms die, the calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) and silicon salts they contain are deposited on seabed in the form of sediments of organic origin. Thus, living organisms throughout the existence of the World Ocean maintain the composition of its salts unchanged.

And now a few words about another mineral contained in sea water. We have spent so many words praising the ocean for the fact that its waters contain many different salts and other substances, including deuterium, uranium and even gold. But we did not mention the main and main mineral that is found in the World Ocean - simple water H 2 O. Without this “mineral” there would be nothing on Earth at all: neither oceans, nor seas, nor you and me. About the main physical properties water, we already had the opportunity to talk. Therefore, here we will limit ourselves to only a few comments.

In the entire history of science, people have not unraveled all the secrets of this rather simple chemical substance, the molecule of which consists of three atoms: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. By the way, modern science claims that hydrogen atoms make up 93% of all atoms in the Universe.

And among the mysteries and secrets of water there remain, for example, the following: why frozen water vapor turns into snowflakes, the shape of which is surprisingly regular geometric figure, reminiscent of magnificent patterns. What about drawings on window glass on frosty days? Instead of amorphous snow and ice, we see ice crystals, which are lined up in such an amazing way that they look like the leaves and branches of some fairy-tale trees.

Or here's another one. Two gaseous substances - oxygen and hydrogen, combined together and turned into liquid. Many other substances, including solids, when combined with hydrogen, become gaseous, like hydrogen, for example, hydrogen sulfide H 2 S, hydrogen selenide (H 2 Se), or a compound with tellurium (H 2 Te).

It is known that water dissolves many substances well. They say that it dissolves, although to a vanishingly small degree, even the glass of the glass into which we poured it.

However, the most important thing to say about water is that water has become the cradle of life. Water, having initially dissolved dozens of chemical compounds in itself, that is, becoming sea ​​water, turned into a solution unique in its diversity of components, which ultimately turned out to be a favorable environment for the emergence and maintenance of organic life.

In the first chapter of this story, we have already noted what is almost universally accepted. The hypothesis has now turned into a theory of the origin of life, each position of which, according to the authors of this theory, is based on factual data from cosmogony, astronomy, historical geology, mineralogy, energy, physics, chemistry, including biological chemistry and other sciences.

The first opinion that life originated in the ocean was expressed in 1893 by the German naturalist G. Bunge. He realized that the amazing similarity between blood and sea water in the composition of the salts dissolved in them was not accidental. Later, the theory of the oceanic origin of the mineral composition of blood was developed in detail by the English physiologist McKellum, who confirmed the correctness of this assumption by the results of numerous blood tests of various animals, from invertebrate mollusks to mammals.

It turned out that not only blood, but also the entire internal environment of our body shows traces preserved from the long stay of our distant ancestors in sea water.

Currently, world science has no doubts about the oceanic origin of life on Earth.

© Vladimir Kalanov,
"Knowledge is power"

There are more than 70 seas on our planet. And all of them are an insignificant but integral part of the World Ocean. Researchers classify them into a variety of categories: size, location, depth, etc. One of these categories is the level of salt content in the water. We have compiled the top 10 saltiest seas in the world, and we will also tell you how exactly the salinity of the water in them is measured and who can live in the waters of such objects.

Determination method

The unit of measurement for water salinity, as well as the level of alcohol in the blood, was called ppm by scientists. 1 ppm refers to the volume of solids that are dissolved in 1 kg of seawater. The problem is that the composition of water in the seas is quite complex for direct chemical analysis. To determine the level of salinity, the concentration of an element and electrical conductivity are taken as a basis. Or they start from the magnitude of refraction. Using this method, biologists were able to determine which seas are the saltiest in the world.

At the very end of our list is the White Sea. Its waters wash the north of the European part of our country. The salt level here remains at 26-28%. This low level is due to the fact that a huge number of rivers flow into the White Sea. At depth, mineralization can reach 31 ppm.

It is worth saying that the White Sea is one of the smallest that washes the shores of Russia. Its area barely exceeds 90,000 km 2.

Fishing here is very developed: the average catch is around 2000 tons.

9. Chukchi Sea

In the waters of the Arctic Ocean, between Alaska and Chukotka, lies the Chukotka Sea, which occupies the 9th position in our ranking of the saltiest seas in the world, with an area of ​​590 km 2. Considering the geographical features, even in summer time The water temperature rarely rises above 12 °C. In winter, it even drops to 0 °C. But despite this, the salinity level here is slightly higher than White Sea- 32-33 ppm.

The harsh climate that reigns in these latitudes also affects the inhabitants of the sea. Only the most resilient representatives of the fauna are able to survive in such conditions. Nevertheless, cod is the main object of fishing here.

The huge sea (more than 670 square kilometers) washing the north of Siberia is called the Laptev Sea and ranks 8th in our ranking of the saltiest seas. In winter, the salinity of its waters fluctuates at 34%. But in the southern part it drops sharply to 25%, and with the arrival of summer it can even drop to 5 ppm. As in all other seas, the maximum level (35%) is observed in the depths.

Interesting fact: despite the fact that the water temperature rarely rises above 0 °C, the Laptev Sea is especially loved by surfers from all over the world because high level coastal waves.

If you want to organize fishing in the Laptev Sea, then you will face complete failure. Only 40 species of fish live here. True, giant flounder and sardines of gigantic size are often found.

Another body of water that is part of the Arctic Ocean. The Barents Sea washes the shores of Norway and Russian Federation. It is considered the most dangerous in our country.

Thanks to the influence warm current from the north Atlantic, the salinity of the water here is constantly changing. True, it fluctuates in a small range: from 33 to 35 ppm. The level also depends on seasonality: in summer it is slightly lower.

The flora of the Barents Sea is rich in plankton. It is also from this reservoir that it is transported throughout the country. king crab. But be careful: you can find aggressive polar bears and seals on the coast.

Occupying a middle position on our list, the Sea of ​​Japan confidently tops the list of the saltiest seas in Russia. Despite the gigantic area of ​​1000 km 2, the level of NaCl (sodium chloride) in almost all its zones confidently remains at around 34%.

It is worth noting that the Sea of ​​Japan is extremely cold. In the south, temperatures may drop below -27 °C. The average annual temperature fluctuates in the range -1...+13 °C.

The underwater world of the Sea of ​​Japan is not stable. The northern part has much fewer inhabitants than the southern part. However, if you decide to enjoy large shrimp or scallops, the Sea of ​​Japan will give you the opportunity. You can also find crabs on the coast at the end of spring.

Finally we are transported to where it is warm. Let's start on the shores of Greece. The Ionian Sea is considered to be both the saltiest sea in this country (38 ppm) and the densest in the world. If you are just learning to swim, then this pond will be a real gift for you. The waters of the Ionian Sea literally push you to the surface. It is precisely because of the high level of density that you are unlikely to be able to reach the bottom on your own. In summer, the water is warm, about +27 °C. Winter and ending swimming season mark a cooling of up to +15 °C.

The shores of Greece are washed by another sea - the Aegean. Researchers found a concentrated alkali level of 39.5% here. If you plan to swim in its waters, you should listen to the advice of dermatologists and use a special cream after completing the procedures. It is also a good idea to douse yourself with fresh water to wash away the sodium that settles on the skin.

The sea is believed to have formed more than 20,000 years ago. True, what size the reservoir was at that time is unknown. Today, the Aegean Sea stretches over an area of ​​180,000 km 2.

Underwater flora of the Aegean and Ionian seas similar in many ways. Animals are different. If the Aegean abounds in octopus, then the Ionian is rich in flounder and tuna.

The top three winners on our list are the Mediterranean Sea. We all know it, many regularly visit its beaches, not even suspecting that the salinity level of its waters reaches 41 ppm.

The Mediterranean Sea stands out among others in several ways. Firstly, this is the warmest sea. Secondly, it is truly gigantic - its area is just over 2,500,000 km 2. And the greatest depth recorded by scientists exceeds 5 km.

Due to its enormous size, the Mediterranean Sea also boasts a variety of inhabitants. Its waters are home to just over 500 species of fish. It is not worth reminding that Mediterranean cuisine is based precisely on sea ​​inhabitants.

Between Middle East Asia and the African continent lies the picturesque Red Sea, which is part of the Indian Ocean. The reservoir is relatively small - only 438,000 km 2. And this is a unique sea, into whose waters not a single river flows.

Despite the fact that the reservoir ranks second in the ranking of the saltiest seas, the world of its flora and fauna is very diverse. Here you can find sharks and killer whales, as well as mature turtles and dolphins. In addition, the diversity and beauty of coral reefs attracts many divers from all over the world.

It is immediately worth noting that many scientists still consider the reservoir to be a lake. But if you throw everything away legal nuances...salinity Dead Sea- 270%! This is both a unique and amazing figure, which means that in 1 liter of water, chemical analysis showed 270 grams of alkalis. This is almost 10 times more than in the Red Sea. Naturally, nothing like this can be found on our plane anymore, so this is the saltiest sea on earth. Its mineral composition contains an impressive portion of the periodic table, including bromine and potassium. Is it necessary to warn that swimming in its waters is not worth it?

It's not called the Dead Sea for nothing. Only a few species of mushrooms can survive here. It’s definitely not possible to find random residents: the maximum depth of the sea-lake reaches only 300 meters, so 99.9% of the waters have already been studied and surveyed.

Summarizing the facts

As you can see, scientists are divided on which sea is the saltiest. Many geographers are firmly convinced that the Dead is a lake, not a sea, which is why they give the palm to the vice-winner of our rating - the Red Sea. Those researchers who do not care about such trifles argue in favor of the Dead.

Five objects from our list border on the territory of the Russian Federation, which cannot be ignored. The most salty sea, washing the shores of our country, is Japanese. And from the lakes - Bear.

Now you know about the 10 saltiest seas. And which one is best suited for a resort holiday is up to you to decide.