Ocean salinity

PRESENT	FUTURE	CONFIDENCE
An increasing trend in surface salinity since 1995 around the North Atlantic is less evident in the UK shelf-seas. Deep waters of the North Atlantic have freshened over the past 40 years.	Difficult to predict, but changes in precipitation, evaporation, ocean circulation and ice melt have the potential to impact upon salinity.	LOW

PRESENT

FUTURE

CONFIDENCE

An increasing trend in surface salinity since 1995 around the North Atlantic is less evident in the UK shelf-seas.

Deep waters of the North Atlantic have freshened over the past 40 years.

Difficult to predict, but changes in precipitation, evaporation, ocean circulation and ice melt have the potential to impact upon salinity.

LOW

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MCCIP derived these headlines from the information supplied in the following reports, which provide a more comprehensive review of scientific understanding in this field.

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Ocean salinity

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