Question

Which of the following is the major property of seawater?
A) Rainfall
B) Snowfall
C) Temperature
D) All of above

Answer 1

Hint: Seawater is a complex mixture of 96.5 percent water, 2.5 percent salts, and little amounts of other substances, consisting of dissolved inorganic and organic materials, particulates, and a few atmospheric gases.

Complete answer:
The physical properties of seawater including its three states or phases—liquid phase, sea ice and vapour. The liquid phase is a single-phase thermodynamic system, which is characterized by the five physical state variables: mass, volume, pressure, temperature, and salinity.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Rainfall: This option is incorrect as the temperature is one of the major properties of seawater. Whereas rainfall is one of the major properties of the water cycle and groundwater storage. Hence, the given option is wrong.
Option B) Snowfall: This option is incorrect as the temperature is one of the major properties of seawater. Whereas snow is useful as it creates an insulating layer for plants and animals that are able to survive the cold. Hence, the given option is wrong.
Option C) Temperature: This option is correct as temperate is one of the major properties of seawater and it always varies from region to region. The surface temperature of the seawater lessens from the equatorial area towards the poles.
Option D) All of the above: This option is incorrect as the temperature is one of the major properties of seawater. Hence, the given option is wrong.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: The unique properties of seawater are:
- It is saline, its freezing point is slightly lower than freshwater,
- Its density is slightly higher,
- Its electrical conductivity is much higher, and
- It is slightly basic.
- Seawater consists of 3.5% salts, dissolved gasses, organic substances and undissolved particulate matter.
- The presence of salts influences most physical properties of seawater (density, compressibility, freezing point, temperature of the density maximum) to some degree but does not determine them.
- Salinity is the major property of seawater and is a measure of the 'saltiness' of seawater, or more precisely the amount of dissolved matter within seawater.