The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The salinity of brackish water is intermediate between seawater and fresh waters. Brackish water contains too much salt to be drinkable, but not enough salt to be considered seawater. The ocean has an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt), whereas freshwater contains 0.065–0.30 ppt of salts, primarily chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, and potassium ions. The salt content of brackish water ranges between approximately 0.50 and 17 ppt. Brackish water occurs where freshwater flows into the ocean, or where salts are dissolved from subsoils and percolate into freshwater basins. The gradient between salt and fresh water in estuaries and deltas varies from sharp distinction to gradual mixing, and different levels of vertical and horizontal mixing depend on the influence of tide, current, and rate of freshwater inflow.