Analyzing Changes in Salinity and Evaporation on Water Quality

The evaporation of water in the ocean can lead to hyper salinity caused by the extra substances left behind during the process. The Florida bay is surrounded by the Florida loop current and the Florida Keys, its salinity reading has been recorded as high as 70 ppt, double the normal capacity of seawater. The bay salinity depends on the amount of fresh water released from the Everglades and the magnitude of water outputted to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the ratio between the amount of water evaporated and the amount of precipitates left in the remaining water pool. For this research nine saltwater treatments from 0 to 40 ppt in increments of 5 ppt were constructed to examine how evaporation rates are affected by varying salinities. During this study, data were collected from each of the nine treatments before and after evaporation. The data recorded included salinity readings, pH levels and volume of water evaporated. The analyses of this data will determine the relationship between salinity levels and evaporation rates.