Arrange the following in increasing order of salinity:
A. Dead Sea
B. Great Salt Lake
C. Lake Van
D. Black Sea
Choose the correct increasing order :

Question

Arrange the following in increasing order of salinity: 
A. Dead Sea
B. Great Salt Lake
C. Lake Van
D. Black Sea
Choose the correct increasing order :

Accepted Answer

Here's the explanation supporting Option 3 (D, B, A and C) as the correct increasing order of salinity:

**Why Option 3 (D, B, A and C) is Correct:**

The salinity of a body of water refers to the concentration of dissolved salts. To arrange the given water bodies in increasing order of salinity, we need to consider their salt content:

*   **D. Black Sea:** The Black Sea is a meromictic basin, meaning its deep waters don't mix with the upper layers. It has a relatively low salinity compared to the other options, primarily due to significant freshwater inflow from rivers like the Danube, Dnieper, and Don. Its salinity is typically around 17-22 parts per thousand (ppt).

*   **B. Great Salt Lake:** The Great Salt Lake, located in Utah, USA, is a terminal lake (meaning it has no outlet). Water evaporates, leaving behind dissolved salts. This process concentrates the salt, resulting in a significantly higher salinity than the Black Sea. Its salinity can range from 5-27% (50-270 ppt), depending on the location and water level.

*   **A. Dead Sea:** The Dead Sea, located between Israel and Jordan, is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. Like the Great Salt Lake, it's a terminal lake with high evaporation rates. This leads to an extremely high concentration of salts. Its salinity is approximately 34% (340 ppt).

*   **C. Lake Van:** Lake Van, located in Turkey, is a saline soda lake. While its salinity is high, it's not as high as the Dead Sea. Its salinity is around 330 ppt.

Therefore, the increasing order of salinity is: Black Sea < Great Salt Lake < Dead Sea < Lake Van, which corresponds to D, B, A, and C.

**Why Other Options are Incorrect:**

*   **Option 1 (D, C, A and B):** This is incorrect because it places Lake Van (C) before the Great Salt Lake (B) and the Dead Sea (A). Lake Van has a lower salinity than the Dead Sea.

*   **Option 2 (D, C, B and A):** This is incorrect because it places Lake Van (C) before the Great Salt Lake (B) and the Dead Sea (A). Lake Van has a lower salinity than the Dead Sea.

*   **Option 4 (A, B, D and C):** This is incorrect because it places the Dead Sea (A) first, implying it has the lowest salinity, which is factually incorrect. The Black Sea (D) has the lowest salinity among the given options.