Question

Why there is higher salinity in northern red sea while lower salinity in the southern red sea?

Answer 1

The Red Sea, also known as the Erythraean Sea, is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, owing to high evaporation.

The southern part of the Red Sea has a salinity ranging from 36% and the northern part has 41% salinity.

The northern part of the Red Sea is more saline than the southern part because it mainly has the Gulf of Suez water which lies to the west of the Sinai Peninsula. The water from the Gulf of Suez is known to have a salinity of about 40 parts per thousand, owing in part to evaporation, and consequently a high density.

Answer 2

1. Solar energy near by red sea, so evaporation rate is high near about 41%.

2. The salinity of the landlocked sea is more, the temperature of these landlocked seas is higher than the open seas. This is true for low latitudinal area

3. Evaporated water turns into water vapour and reduces in quantity. But amount of salt remain the same in the remaining water and therefore the salinity of the water increase.

4. The average salinity of the Mediterranean sea is 39% while the salinity of the most saline ocean, is 35%

5. In seas where the supply of freshwater exceeds the rate of evaporation, salinity is low.