Question

17. What are the two factors that can cause the volume of water in the ocean to change? A. Temperature and pressure B. Gravity and temperature C. Pressure and salinity level D. Salinity level and temperature

Answer 1

Answer: D. Salinity level and temperature

Explanation:

The density $D$ of the water is given by a relation between its mass $m$ and its volume $V$:

$D=\frac{m}{V}$

Isolating the volume:

$V=\frac{m}{D}$

This means the volume of the water will depend on its mass and its density.

In this sense, the two factors that affect the volume of seawater are salinity level and temperature.

This is because the salinity (amount of salt in water) changes the its mass and its density, therefore its volume. The higher the salinity, the greater the volume.  

In the case of temperature, when it increases, the volume of water also increases and when the temperature decreases, the volume also decreases.