Factor’s controlling salinity –

• Evaporation – There is a direct positive relationship between the rate of evaporation and salinity, i.e., – greater the evaporation, higher the salinity and vice versa.
• Precipitation – It is inversely related to salinity, i.e., higher the precipitation, lower the salinity and vice versa.
• Influx of river water – Though the rivers bring salt from the land to the oceans, but big and voluminous rivers pour down immense volume of water into the oceans.
• Atmospheric pressure and wind direction – Anti-cyclonic conditions with stable air and high temperature increase salinity of the surface water of the ocean. Winds also help in redistribution of salts in the ocean and the seas, as winds drive away saline water to less saline areas, resulting into decrease of salinity in the former and increase in the latter.
• Circulation of the oceanic water – Ocean currents affect the spatial distribution of salinity by mixing sea waters.