Читать книгу Oceans For Dummies - Joseph Kraynak - Страница 20

The recipe for cookin’ up a batch of seawater might seem quite simple: Start with 1 gallon (about 4 liters) of water, add about 4 tablespoons (60 grams) salt, and shake till dissolved. However, seawater is more complex than mere salt and water — it contains a very large number of chemical elements and compounds, including dissolved organic materials, particulates, and dissolved gasses, including oxygen. (Marine mammals can’t breathe the gasses dissolved in seawater, but apparently the crew of the movie The Abyss can.)

Don’t worry, we’re not going to deliver a lecture on the chemical composition of seawater, but knowing that seawater is more than just salty water is important for when we get into discussions about certain issues related to preserving the ocean’s health, such as climate change and ocean acidification (see Chapter 21).