Sea
Mediterranean Sea
A nearly enclosed sea where evaporation greatly exceeds river inflow and precipitation, making it saltier than the Atlantic and driving a permanent inflow of Atlantic water through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Key facts
- Surface area
- approximately 2.5 million km²
- Salinity
- approximately 38 PSU, against 35 for open ocean
- Water balance
- Evaporation exceeds inflow; deficit made up through Gibraltar
Relationships
- Located in: Europe
Related intelligence
Sources
- World Wildlife Fund / McGill University — HydroSHEDS / HydroRIVERS / HydroLAKES / HydroBASINS. Open — attribution required · CC BY 4.0
- Global Water System Project — Global Reservoir and Dam Database. Open — attribution required · CC BY 4.0
- Peer-reviewed scientific literature — Open-access hydrology, water chemistry and water use research. Public but restricted · Publisher terms — public access, reuse not clearly granted