Major source of oceanic salinity is?

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

Territorial Army Official Paper II (Conducted on 25 Sep 2022)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Rivers.

Key Points

Oceanic salinity

Salt in the ocean comes from two sources: runoff from the land (i.e. Rivers) and openings in the seafloor.
Rocks on land are the major source of salts dissolved in seawater.
Rainwater that falls on land is slightly acidic, so it erodes rocks. Hence, option 1 is correct.
This releases ions that are carried away to streams and rivers that eventually feed into the ocean.
Many of the dissolved ions are used by organisms in the ocean and are removed from the water. Others are not removed, so their concentrations increase over time.
Another source of salts in the ocean is hydrothermal fluids, which come from vents in the seafloor.
Two of the most prevalent ions in seawater are chloride and sodium. Together, they make up around 85% of all dissolved ions in the ocean.
The concentration of salt in seawater (salinity) varies with temperature, evaporation, and precipitation.