Galilee Salt Marsh

Physical Characteristics

What elements are found in the water at a salt marsh?

The salt water marsh is continually flooded by ocean tides. The elements that make up this water include: chlorine (55%), sodium (30.6%), sulfate (7.7%), calcium (1.2%), potassium (1.1%), and minor elements (0.7%). The amount of salt contained in ocean water is measured in parts per thousand (ppt), for example, our measurements of the salt marsh showed salinity at 29 ppt, this means 29 pounds of salt can be found in 1000 pounds of water or 2.9% salt. The rest (97.1%) is fresh water.