Hey cool cats, I’m Dr. Universe, here to answer your baffling science question. Like this one. Dear Dr. Universe, why is the ocean salty? If we took all of the salt from our oceans and spread it over Earth’s surface, it would be almost 500 feet high. It all starts with rocks and dirt on land. Salt is one of the many minerals in rocks. A lot of it is the kind you might sprinkle on food, sodium chloride. As you might guess, it’s made up atoms called sodium and chlorine. Water is really good at dissolving salt. You can see this in action, just by adding a little salt to a cup of water. The chemical reaction in water, pulls different parts of salt away from each other. Streams and rivers help dissolve the salts from the rock and carry it into the ocean. But not all salt stays in the ocean. Find out where it goes. Or send me a science question of your own at AskDrUniverse.wsu.edu.