Does the salt content of the ocean increase as you go deeper? Would animals in deeper, saltier water have the same features as other salt water animals?
From Period 5 Students in Dr. Durkin’s 10th Grade Earth Science Class
From Period 5 Students in Dr. Durkin’s 10th Grade Earth Science Class
I am not a biologist and I expect you will get a more direct answer from some who is. That said, is interesting to consider this question as it relates to physical oceanography. It is true that the salinity of the ocean changes with depth, but because warmer waters are less dense than colder waters, it is not always true that deeper waters are saltier. What is true is that ocean salinity tends to vary more in the upper ocean (say the upper 1 km) that down deeper, so if animals are sensitive to changes in salinity they will likely avoid regions of strong changes whether they occur over particular depths or in particular geographic areas. I would expect that the physical features of greater consequence to the animals would be the increase in pressure and the decrease in light with depth. These changes mean that animals who live near the bottom of the ocean, tend to be quite different from those who live near the surface.