Investigating seawater
In this activity, students investigate some of the properties of seawater.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
discuss that salt dissolves in water
explain that dissolved salt does not change the volume of the water
discuss the differences in density between freshwater and seawater
discuss how freshwater in the form of rain or melting ice reduces the salinity of the saltwater on the surface.
Ice in Antarctica
Dr Mike Williams explains the difference between ice formed in the sea and ice that has calved off the Antarctic ice sheet.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do
student handout.
Related content
These resources provide background information for the activity:
Water density – article
Ocean salinity – article
For a curation of information on topics featured in this activity, visit Icy ecosystems – introduction and The ocean in action – introduction.
