Practical salinity SP is defined on the Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS-78) in terms of the conductivity ratio K15 which is the electrical conductivity of the sample at temperature t68 = 15 °C and pressure equal to one standard atmosphere, divided by the conductivity of a standard potassium chloride (KCl) solution at the same temperature and pressure. The mass fraction of KCl in the standard solution is 0.0324356 (32.4356 g of KCl in 1 kg of solution). When K15 = 1, the Practical Salinity P S is by definition 35. The conductivity of that reference solution is C(35,1568,0) = 42.914 mS/cm = 4.2914 S/m (Siemens per meter). Note that Practical Salinity is a unit-less quantity. Though sometimes convenient, it is technically incorrect to quote Practical Salinity in "psu". When K15 is not unity, SP and K15 are related by the PSS-78 equation
At a temperature of t68 = 15 °C, Rt is simply K15 and Practical Salinity SP can be determined from the above equation. For temperatures other than t68 = 15 °C, Practical Salinity SP is given by the following function of Rt (k = 0.0162)
Rayleigh number (Ra) is a dimensionless quantity used in fluid mechanics, defined by
where l is length, g is acceleration of gravity, α is cubic expansion coefficient, T is temperature, ρ is density, η is viscosity, and a is thermal diffusivity.
Electrical resistance (R) of a given object is the opposition to the passage of an electric current through that object. The SI unit of electrical resistance is the ohm, represented by the Greek letter omega (Ω). Resistance is the electric potential difference divided by the current when there is no electromotive force in the conductor. This definition applies to direct current. For a conductor of uniform cross section with area A and length L, and whose resistivity is ρ, the resistance is given by
Electrical resistivity, or specific resistance (ρ) is the electric field strength divided by the current density when there is no electromotive force in the conductor. Resistivity is an intrinsic property of a material. Materials with low resistivity are good conductors of electricity and materials with high resistivity are good insulators.
For a conductor of uniform cross section with area A and length L, and whose resistance is R, the resistivity is given by
The SI unit is Ω m.
Retardation factor, RF, (in planar chromatography) is a ratio of the distance travelled by the centre of the spot to the distance simultaneously travelled by the mobile phase:
The RF value is characteristic for any given compound on the same stationary phase using the same mobile phase for development of the plates. Hence, known RF values can be compared to those of unknown substances to aid in their identifications.
Reynolds number (Re) is a dimensionless quantity used in fluid mechanics, defined by
where ρ is density, v is velocity, l is length, and η is viscosity.
Schmidt number (Sc) is a dimensionless quantity used in fluid mechanics, defined by
where η is viscosity, ρ is density, and D is diffusion coefficient.
Sedimentary Rocks are formed by the accumulation and subsequent consolidation of sediments into various types of rock. There are three major types of sedimentary rocks:
Biogenic sedimentary rocks are formed from organic processes when organisms use materials dissolved in water to build a shell or other skeletal structure.
Clastic sedimentary rocks are composed directly of the sediments or fragments from other rocks.
Chemical sedimentary rocks are formed through evaporation of a chemical rich solution.
Based on their sizes, sediment particles are classified, based on their size, into six general categories:
Salinity (S) is a measure of the quantity of dissolved salts in seawater. It is formally defined as the total amount of dissolved solids in seawater in parts per thousand (‰) by weight when all the carbonate has been converted to oxide, the bromide and iodide to chloride, and all organic matter is completely oxidized.
Chlorinity is the oldest of the salinity measures considered and is still a corner-stone in the study of dissolved material in seawater. Based on the principle of constant relative proportions it provides a measure of the total amount of dissolved material in seawater in terms of the concentration of halides. The relationship between chlorinity (Cl) and salinity as set forth in Knudsen’s tables is
In 1962, however, a better expression for the relationship between total dissolved salts and chlorinity was found to be
Practical Salinity (SP) was introduced as a replacement for Chlorinity. Practical Salinity is is relatively easy to measure using standard conductometers, measurements are more precise and less time consuming than measurements of Chlorinity and accurate measurements can even be made in situ. Practical salinity SP is defined on the Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS-78) in terms of the conductivity ratio K15 which is the electrical conductivity of the sample at temperature t68 = 15 °C and pressure equal to one standard atmosphere, divided by the conductivity of a standard potassium chloride (KCl) solution at the same temperature and pressure. The mass fraction of KCl in the standard solution is 0.0324356 (32.4356 g of KCl in 1 kg of solution).
Note that Practical Salinity is a unit-less quantity. Though sometimes convenient, it is technically incorrect to quote Practical Salinity in "psu". For most purposes one can assume that the psu and the ‰, are synonymous.
The global average salinity of ocean waters is about 35 ‰, that is, about 35 g of solid substances are dissolved in 1 kg of seawater.
Sedimentation is a process of separating specifically heavier, suspended matter, than the solution is. Solid matter settles on the bottom of the vessel and the liquid above it is poured off. The settling zone is the largest portion of the sedimentation basin. This zone provides the calm area necessary for the suspended particles to settle. The sludge zone, located at the bottom of the tank, provides a storage area for the sludge before it is removed for additional treatment or disposal.
Generalic, Eni. "Specifična veličina." Croatian-English Chemistry Dictionary & Glossary. 29 June 2022. KTF-Split. {Date of access}. <https://glossary.periodni.com>.
Glossary
Periodic Table