Hydrological question.....

[captainjack23]

For some of the more knowlegeable here - What are the mechanisms in planetary evolution that may cause saliity in "seawater"...is it simply accumulation over time ?

I mainly ask, as the question has arisen, can there be freshwater oceans on a habitable erthlike planet (Europa and such excluded) ?

 

[EDG]

You're just trying to keep me here, aren't you

I did write a long post, but figured actually it'd be easier to point you to this:

http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/salty_ocean.htm

It pretty much explains everything that you're asking about. Though I will add that planetary oceans don't necessarily have to be dominated by sodium chloride salt (NaCl may be called "salt", but it's just one kind of chemical salt, which encompasses things like chlorides, carbonates, sulphates etc) - Europa's ocean is dominated by magnesium sulphate (aka "epsom salts"), which we know because we've seen them on Europa's surface. But it all depends on the exact chemistry involved.

 

[captainjack23]

You're just trying to keep me here, aren't you

Oh Jeeeze. I may never be able to show my face on COTI again.......

Nah. Just trying to bait you into an argument about dissolved salts....
:lol:

I did write a long post, but figured actually it'd be easier to point you to this:

http://www.palomar.edu/oceanography/salty_ocean.htm

Cool, thanks.

(NaCl may be called "salt", but it's just one kind of chemical salt, which encompasses things like chlorides, carbonates, sulphates etc)

So....would silver chloride then be useful for repelling were-slugs ?