salinity

American  

[suh-lin-i-tee] / səˈlɪn ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being salty; saltiness.

   Ocean currents are driven by differences in the temperature and salinity of the water.

2. a measurement of the amount of salt in a given solution.

   Adding fresh water to a marsh lowers salinity.

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Other Word Forms

• hypersalinity noun
• nonsalinity noun
• subsalinity noun

Etymology

Origin of salinity

salin(e) ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

They can’t recreate every wind puff and ocean eddy, so they divide the world into a 3-D grid and generate myriad variables for each box, from soil temperature to ocean salinity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

The report added there was "no documented procedure available for the storing of live lobster, in particular control measures in relation to the water treatment, water temperature, salinity, waste filtration".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

“Salt basically adds salinity, that salty pop of brackishness,” Lieu explains.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

The study also found that lower salinity in the region aligns with a slowing AMOC, reinforcing the conclusion that reduced transport of warm, salty water is driving the trend.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2025

And ocean salinity of course represented only the merest sliver of my ignorance.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson