hypersaline

adjective

hy·​per·​sa·​line ˌhī-pər-ˈsā-ˌlēn How to pronounce hypersaline (audio)
-ˌlīn
variants or less commonly hyper-saline
: highly saline
… they dwell in one of the world's harshest habitats—shallow hypersaline lakes. Few creatures can tolerate the unusual environments of these saline deserts.Stephen Jay Gould
Sugar production is blamed for diverting freshwater flow through the Everglades and dumping excess nutrients. As a result, water flowing from the Everglades into Florida Bay and ultimately into the Keys, is hypersaline and prone to algal blooms.Rodale's Scuba Diving
hypersalinity noun
or less commonly hyper-salinity
Fresh water flowing into the sea is trapped; with no outflow, the only way out is up. High evaporation rates in this hot, arid zone result in extreme hypersalinity. Batsheva Sobelman

Examples of hypersaline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Biochemical engineers Abdelrhman Mohamed and Haluk Beyenal, two of the study’s authors, had previously worked together to create instruments to study microbes in wastewater treatment systems, remote hypersaline lakes, and hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Jennifer Clare Ball, Wired, 30 Sep. 2021 Due to evaporation, some isolated bodies of water can become hypersaline, or extra salty. Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2023 The hypersaline high-desert lake, famous for its towering, craggy tufa formations, has been at the center of long-running disputes over the city’s diversions of water from the lake’s feeder streams. Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2022 Padre Island National Seashore also borders the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2023 The northern arm of the causeway is hypersalinity, or saturated with salt, and colored pink by the microorganisms that in the hypersaline water. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 20 Dec. 2022 The desalination process, which typically includes the discharge of hypersaline brine back into the ocean, has been criticized for negatively affecting marine life near facilities, as well as high energy consumption. Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The hypersaline plume has also spread east, into Biscayne National Park. Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, 19 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypersaline was in 1937

Dictionary Entries Near hypersaline

Cite this Entry

“Hypersaline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypersaline. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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