Learn More

Funny Taste
Source: NOAA National Weather Service
[21-Jul-2022] We all know the oceans are salty, but so are other sources of water. The oceans have a salinity (salt content) of 35 parts per thousand (‰). The Dead Sea has an average salinity of 290‰, almost nine times saltier than the oceans. But what does that actually mean? Just how salty tasting are these various bodies of water? With up to seven containers of water and table salt, students can "taste test" simulations of various bodies of water around the earth, concluding with the impressively high salinity found in the Dead Sea. This 25-minute experience may be geared towards younger students, but can be an eye-opening activity at any age when combined with discussions about the water cycle (e.g., distillation of water during evaporation process, global evaporation and precipitation rates, and influx of salts to oceans).

View: Click on the image to enlarge. Click on the Escape key or anywhere outside the shadowbox to close.

Download: To download a copy, right click on the image and select Save Image As (on a Mac keyboard, click the touchpad while holding down the Control key). To download the highest resolution in our database, first click on the image to enlarge and then save that version.