Question

Why the speed of sound increases in salt water?

Answer 1

In saltwater, sound travels at about 1500 m/s and in freshwater 1435 m/s. The speed of sound in sea water depends on salinity.

For a liquid the speed of sound decreases with increasing density but increases with increasing bulk modulus. For salt water (compared to fresh water) the percent increase in bulk modulus is greater than the percent increase in density so the sound velocity increases with salinity.

In salt water that is free of air bubbles or suspended sediment, sound travels at about 1560 m/s. The speed of sound in seawater depends on pressure (hence depth), temperature (a change of 1 °C ~ 4 m/s), and salinity (a change of 1‰ ~ 1 m/s), and empirical equations have been derived to accurately calculate sound speed from these variables.

Other factors affecting sound speed are minor. Since temperature decreases with depth while pressure and generally salinity increase, the profile of sound speed with depth generally shows a characteristic curve which decreases to a minimum at a depth of several hundred meters, then increases again with increasing depth.

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Answer 2

Speed of sound in any medium depends on the density of the medium. In salt water due to presence of salt it is very dense.