• Question: Why doesnt the sea freeze?

    Asked by aileenjcat to Colin, John, Kevin, Shikha, Triona on 12 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by JOHNNY.
    • Photo: Kevin Motherway

      Kevin Motherway answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      The salt in the sea water lowers the freezing temperature to about -2.0 Celcius. The Arctic is covered in huge areas of sea ice that melt every summer. Antarctica is a continent (i.e. its made of rock) and is covered in freshwater glacial ice but it also grows a huge rim of sea ice every winter.

    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 18 Nov 2014:

      Hi aileenjcat and JOHNNY,

      Sea and ocean water does freeze but at lower temperature when compared with other water bodies. Other water bodies like river & lake freeze just below zero degree centigrade, whereas as sea water freezes at -2 degree centigrade. This because the high concentration of salt in sea and ocean water lower the frozen temperature.

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