Physical properties of Sea

Water

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Contents
Introduction
The Unique Properties
Salinity
Temperature
Density
Other Properties

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Physical Water Properties
Salinity
Conductivity
Temperature
Pressure
Density
Colour
etc.

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions
Salinity
Salinity is total mass, expressed in grams, of all substances
dissolved in 1 kg of sea water when all carbonate has been
converted to oxide, all bromine and iodine has been
replaced by chlorine and all organic compounds have been
oxidized at a temperature of 480C

Expressed in 0/00 or ppt (part per thousand) or psu (practical

salinity unit)

Normal range of salinity of open sea water 30 35 psu

Coastal areas salinity varies more widely

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions

Salinity
Highest salinity value : 300 400 psu in the Dead Sea

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions

Conductivity
Sea water conductivity is the ability or power of sea
water to conduct or transmit heat, electricity, or
sound

Its units are Siemens per meter [S/m] in SI and

micromhos per centimeter [mmho/cm] in U.S.
customary units. Its symbol is or

Normal range of conductivity : 2 5 S/m

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions

Temperature
Temperature is a measure of the heat content

Temperature is a thermodynamic property of a fluid,

and is due to the activity of molecules and atoms in
the fluid. The more the activity (energy), the higher
the temperature.

Unit : Degrees Celsius (C)

Normal range of sea water temperature : 0 33 C

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area exerted by
water on either side of the unit area,
therefore it increases with increasing depth

Ocean pressure is usually measured in decibars

1 dbar =
10-1 bar = 105 dyne/cm2 = 104 Pascal

The total vertical variation in pressure in the

ocean is thus from near zero (surface) to
10,000 dbar (deepest)

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions

Density
The density of an object is the ratio of its mass to
its volume

The density of pure water in SI units is

1000kilogram per cubic meter. Range of
seawater density is 1020 - 1050 kg/m3

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Introduction
Definitions

Colour
Refers to the characteristic hue of the ocean
according to the presence and concentration of
specific minerals or substances, such as
chlorophyll

What colour you see depend not only on the

weather and light conditions, but also on what
the water contains. This is why ocean colour
measurements have become an important tool
for studying plant life in the ocean.

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 The unique properties
Heat Capacity
Heat required to raise one gram of a water
by 1C.
highest of all substances (except liquid
ammonia)
thermal buffering and heat transport
by ocean currents

Latent Heat of Fusion

Heat required to melt one gram of ice at
0C to liquid water at 0C.
highest of all substances (except liquid
ammonia)
thermal buffering
Latent Heat of Evaporation
Heat required to evaporate 1 gr of water at
100C to water vapor at 100C
highest of all substances
thermal buffering and heat transfer from
the ocean to the atmosphere

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 The unique properties
Due to High Heat Capacity
Higher melting and boiling point than other hydrogen compounds

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 The unique properties

Dissolving Power - ability to

dissolve a wide range of substances
highest of all liquids
solvent for all biological and
geochemical reactions

Transparency - ability to absorb or

transmit UV, visible and IR light
transparent to visible
strongly absorbs UV and IR
absorbs heat energy from the
sun

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Salinity
Horizontal Distribution

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 salinity
Horizontal Distribution
Salinity displays a latitudinal relationship related to precipitation and
evaporation
Highest ocean salinity is between 20-30 North and South or the equator
Low salinity at the equator and poleward of 30 results because evaporation decreases
and precipitation increases

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 salinity
Vertical Distribution

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 salinity
Halocline

In some places surface water and

deep water are separated by a
halocline, a zone of rapid change
in salinity

Water stratification (layering)

within the ocean is more
pronounced between 40N and
40S

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey

C(S,15,0)
the conductivity of the sea-water sample
at a temperature of 15C and
standard atmospheric pressure of 101325
Pa
Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata
Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung
salinity
Salinity and Conductivity
C(KCl,15,0)
theconductivity of the standard potassium
chloride (KCl) solution at a temperature of
15C and standard atmospheric pressure
physical water properties
gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 salinity
Major Minerals of Sea Water

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Salinity
Effect of Salinity on the Freezing Temperature

Pure water freezes at 0C

Adding salt increasingly lowers the
freezing point because salt ions
interfere with the formation of
the hexagonal structure of ice

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 Temperature
Horizontal Distribution

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 temperature
Vertical Distribution

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 temperature
Thermocline

Tropical and subtropical oceans are

permanently layered with warm,
less dense surface water
separated from the cold, dense
deep water by a thermocline, a
layer in which water temperature
and density change rapidly

Temperate regions have a seasonal

thermocline and polar regions
have none

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Density of sea water is a function of
temperature, salinity and pressure

Density increases as
temperature decreases
and salinity increases as
pressure increases

Pressure increases
regularly with depth, but
temperature and salinity
are more variable

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Density of sea water is a function of
temperature, salinity and pressure

Higher salinity water can rest

above lower salinity water if the
higher salinity water is sufficiently
warm and the lower salinity water
sufficiently cold

Pycnocline is a layer within the

Temperature water column where water density
Salinity
Density changes rapidly with depth

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Pycnocline

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Anomaly in Water Density

Interesting Fact of Water Density

Water has the density maximum at 4C
Higher and lower water temperatures have lower
density

What are the consequences?

- Ice layer in the frozen lakes, river or seas is
located on the top layer
- Insulating the water from further freezing
- Keep fish and other organism in the lake and
river alive during winter

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Anomaly in Water Density

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 density
Anomaly in Water Density

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
Light Penetrations
Amount of light entering the ocean
depends upon the height of the sun
above the horizon and the
smoothness of sea surface
65% of light entering the ocean is absorbed
within the first meter and converted into
heat. Only 1% of light entering the ocean
reaches 100m
Water displays the selective absorption of
light with long wavelengths absorbed first
and short wavelengths absorbed last
The photic zone is the part of the water
column penetrated by sunlight
The aphotic zone is the part of the water
column below light penetration and
permanently dark
Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata
Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
Light Penetrations
In turbid coastal waters light rarely penetrates deeper than 20m and the water
appears yellow to green because particles reflect these wavelengths
In the open ocean, blue light penetrates the deepest

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

The speed of sound in water increases as salinity, temperature

and pressure increase, but in the ocean, the speed of sound
is mainly a function of temperature and pressure

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

Above the pycnocline increasing

pressure with depth increases the
speed of sound despite the gradual
decrease in temperature.
Within the pycnocline, the speed of
sound decreases rapidly because of
the rapid decrease in temperature and
only slight increase in pressure.
Below the pycnocline the speed of
sound gradually increases because
pressure continues to increase, but
temperature only declines slightly.

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

Important factor in most of hydrographic and oceanographic survey

equipments since they use underwater acoustic principles

d d
t.c
d
2

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

SOFAR Channel is located where sound speed is at a minimum

Refraction of sound waves within the channel prevents dispersion of the sound
energy and sound waves travel for 1000s of kilometers within the channel

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound
Direction of Increasing
Temperature and Velocity
Depth
Water Warm

T Depth Shadow Zone

C
Water
Cool

Negative Gradient Thermal Structure Sound Bends Down When Water Grows
Cooler With Depth

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

Direction of Increasing
Temperature and Velocity
Depth
Water
Cool

T C
Shadow Zone

Water Warm
When Temperature Increases with
Positive Gradient Thermal Structure Depth, Sound Bends Sharply Up

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

Direction of Increasing
Temperature and Velocity
Depth Depth
Isothermal

Shadow
Zone
T C

Temperature
Cool

Isothermal Gradient Thermal Structure Sound Beam Splits When Temperature Is

Uniform At Surface and Cool At Bottom

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
The Speed of Sound

Direction of Increasing
Temperature and Velocity
Depth Depth
Water Warm

T Shadow Zone
C

Water Cool

Negative Gradient Over Positive

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
Compressibility

Water is highly incompressible

Due to strong H-bonding of
structural clusters in liquid
water
Used for hydraulic pump

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey
 other properties
Physical States

Waters are available in the world

in three states (liquid,
solid/ice, gas)
solutes are excluded from ice or water
vapor when water freezes or
evaporates
in ice - all H-bonds used to lock water
in lattice, no stabilization of solutes
in gas phase - kinetic energy of water
molecules prevents interactions with
solutes

Dr. rer. nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group physical water properties
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology
Institute of Technology, Bandung gd3208 coastal environmental survey