Saline facts for kids
Saline is a word that describes something containing salt. You might hear it used for salty water, the saltiness of soil, or even a special liquid used in medicine.
What is Saline?
Saline describes how much salt is in a liquid or in the soil. The more salt there is, the more "saline" it is. Salt is a very common substance found all over the Earth, especially in oceans.
Saline Water
When we talk about saline water, we mean water that has a lot of dissolved salts in it. The most common type of saline water is ocean water. Ocean water is very salty, which is why you can't drink it. The amount of salt in water is called salinity. This is usually measured by how many grams of salt are in 1,000 grams of water.
- Freshwater has very little salt, less than 0.05%. This is the water we drink.
- Brackish water has more salt than freshwater but less than seawater. You might find this in estuaries where rivers meet the ocean.
- Seawater is the water in oceans and seas, with about 3.5% salt.
- Brine is water with even more salt than seawater, sometimes over 5%.
Saline in Medicine
In medicine, saline usually means a special liquid that has salt and water mixed together. This mixture is very similar to the salt content of a human body. It is often called a "saline solution."
Doctors and nurses use saline solutions for many reasons:
- To clean wounds and cuts.
- To help people who are dehydrated (don't have enough water in their body).
- To deliver medicines into a patient's body through an IV drip.
- To rinse contact lenses.
Because it matches the body's natural salt level, medical saline is safe to use inside the body without causing harm to cells.
Soil Salinity
Soil salinity refers to the amount of salt in the soil. When soil has too much salt, it can be hard for plants to grow. This is because the salt can pull water away from the plant roots, making it difficult for the plants to absorb the water they need. High soil salinity can be a big problem for farmers in some parts of the world.
See also
In Spanish: Saline para niños
