It covers 70% of the Earth surface is one of the most common substances on Earth,

and it makes up over 97% of all our water.

Despite being so common, it's also one of the most complex substances you'll ever encounter.

You can swim in it and surf in it, but you can't drink it.

Learn more about sea water and why there is a whole lot more to it than you probably realize

on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Believe it or not, I was 21 years old when I first saw Saltwater. I was in Seattle and we drove past a park which was on Puget Sound. I was

with a group driving up to the National Debate Tournament and I started yelling,

Stop, stop! They had no idea what was happening. So they stopped the van and I

got out and I ran to the water to taste it.

I needed to verify for myself that salt water was indeed salty.

For many people around the world, my story was not something that they could fathom.

40% of humanity lives within 100 kilometers of the sea,

and sea water is far and away the most common substance on the Earth's surface.

It's so common a substance that most people have never given it much thought.

I mean, it's salt and water, right? What more is there to know?

Well, as it turns out, quite a bit.

Let's start by looking at exactly what it is.

You'll not be surprised to find that the vast majority of sea water is in fact water and salt,

sodium chloride or NACL.

The salinity of sea water is usually said to be 3.5%, which means for every

kilogram of water there would be 35 grams of salt. The salt is dissolved in the

water in what is known as an ionic solution. An ionic solution means that the individual sodium and chlorine atoms

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