Where does fresh water and sea water mix?

Answer 1

Note: This answer describes the types of places where fresh water and salt water meet.

If the place is a river, the body of water is an estuary and that question is provided in the links to related questions below. If the question is about the interface between salt water and fresh water then the answer is halocline.

Answer:

There are four or five significant connections of fresh water to salt water. (Fresh water is all created by evaporation, either from the ocean or land with a great deal of the land evaporation occurring in tropical forests.)

1. Rain is the largest contribution, water evaporates from the ocean, forms clouds (clouds are fresh water droplets and ice crystals) and then rains back into the ocean.

2. The rain gets to the ocean by falling on land and then collects in rivers. Rivers (and to a lesser extent streams) make the point of contact of fresh water with the oceans where the mouth of a river flows into the oceans.

3. Another important influx of fresh water to the oceans is from glaciers which either melt and flow into the ocean (as they are doing more frequently now) or when they create icebergs.

4. Perhaps more importantly, there are also aquifers that flow into the ocean. There is a large and famous collection of aquifers on the cost of South America, but actually these occur all over the world and contribute some of their water to the ocean though subsurface connections.

5. There are a number of brackish swamps around the world where fresh water and salt water mix.

A tiny amount of fresh water mixes with salt water at the few land locked seas and lakes of the world, such as the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake.

Answer 2

These two types of water may mix in an estuary, and would be considered brackish.

In a calm body of water (such as a Fjord, fresh water will form a distinct layer on top of the salt water, for it is less dense. And will only mix when wave action occurs.

Answer 3

estuary

A partially enclosed body of water where salty seawater and freshwater mix

Answer 4

where the river flows into the sea and where icebergs melt

Answer 5

Actually a region where fresh water and salt water mix is called an estuary.

Answer 6

When rivers flow into oceans, deltas or estuaries are formed. These mixing areas are rich in wildlife and are an important ecosystem.

Answer 7

slightly less salinated water