haline

Haline is an adjective used in science to indicate a relation to salt or saline conditions. The term derives from the Greek hals, halos, meaning salt, and is carried into various scientific vocabularies to denote salt-related properties, environments, or processes.

In oceanography and hydrology, haline describes the salinity of a body of water. Salinity is a measure of dissolved salts, typically expressed in practical salinity units (PSU). Seawater usually has a salinity around 35 PSU. Hydrological and oceanographic contexts use haline terms to discuss how salt concentration varies in space and time, such as haline stratification or haloclines, which are layers where salinity changes rapidly with depth.

In biology, haline conditions influence the distribution and physiology of organisms. Halophiles are organisms that require elevated salt concentrations to grow and function, commonly found in salt lakes, salterns, and other hypersaline environments. The term haline is sometimes used to describe habitats or ecosystems that are saline rather than freshwater or brackish.

In geology and geology-related disciplines, haline is used to describe materials or fluids rich in dissolved salts. Halite, the mineral form of sodium chloride, is a prominent example of a haline mineral. Haline environments can influence rock formation, sedimentation, and mineral deposition, particularly in evaporite basins where evaporation concentrates salts.

Overall, haline serves as a broad descriptor across disciplines for anything pertaining to salt content, from the chemical composition of water to the ecological implications of saline environments and the mineralogical context of salt-bearing rocks.