I have read on some websites that the ancient oceans could have been much more saline than the current oceans. Is that true? Any article or book related to this?
Salinity is discussed in this Powerpoint presentation by Prof. Steven Wojal: http://www2.oberlin.edu/faculty/swojtal/SFWpage/161Stuff/161Lect9/sld008.htm
That slide 008 says: "Generally, however, sea water salinity is roughly constant, & it appears to have had this value for a long time."
Does a "long time" stretch back to the Archaen?
Slide 009 says: "If seawater salinity has remained constant (oceans remained in a steady state), how is that accomplished?"
That question is also unanswered, It is also unanswered in Andel, T. H. van (1994) New Views on an Old Planet, 2 edition. Cambridge ; New York, Cambridge University Press. On page 277 he writes "... the salt contents of the oceans has not increased. How is the excess amount being disposed of?" "This question has not been answered satisfactorily, ..."
Does that help?
Thanks sir. Then, it is not yet known with certainty whether the concentration of salts in the sea water was variable during some period of time, right?
Daniel,
What is not known is why, despite rivers carrying salts into the oceans, that the oceans are not much saltier. This question was asked by Walter Rubey in 1951, over 100 years ago, but we still do not have an answer. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsabulletin/article-abstract/62/9/1111/4461/geologic-history-of-sea-wateran-attempt-to-state
OTOH, we do know that the salinity changed during the last glacial period, 20,000 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleosalinity and that the composition of the oceans change
Moreover, the oxygen composition of the oceans has changed over the last 3,000,000,000 years, http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/361/1470/903 and the calcium, magnesium and sulfate has changed over the last 600,000,000 years http://www.ajsonline.org/content/304/5/438.short
So it depends what extent of chemical change you are considering and over what time.
HTH, Alastair.
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