Baltic Sea
Topic: Oceans: Hydrological Cycle, Relief of the Ocean Floor, Temperature and Salinity · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 12 "Water (Oceans)"
Meaning
The Baltic Sea is a shallow, nearly enclosed sea in northern Europe. Its salinity is very low, under 10‰, and only 2–5‰ in the Gulf of Bothnia in the far north. Three things keep it fresh. Many large rivers pour fresh water into it. Its cold climate means little evaporation. And its only link to the open ocean is through the narrow Danish straits. So it is a sea of brackish water.
Example
In the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and Finland, the water is only 2–5‰ salty, which is barely salty at all.
Don't confuse with
- North Sea: the North Sea is next to the Baltic, but it is salty for its latitude because the North Atlantic Drift brings in salty Atlantic water.
- Black Sea: the Black Sea is also low in salinity (about 17–18‰) because of river inflow. It lies between Europe and Asia, not in northern Europe.
Related concepts
- Horizontal distribution of salinity
- Red Sea salinity
- Mediterranean Sea salinity
- Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea salinity
- Halocline