An equation of state for hypersaline water in Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Great Salt Lake (GSL) is one of the largest and most saline lakes in the world. In order to accurately model limnological processes in GSL, hydrodynamic calculations require the precise estimation of water density (ρ) under a variety of environmental conditions. An equation of state was developed with water samples collected from GSL to estimate density as a function of salinity and water temperature. The ρ of water samples from the south arm of GSL was measured as a function of temperature ranging from 278 to 323 degrees Kelvin (^oK) and conductivity salinities ranging from 23 to 182 g L⁻¹ using an Anton Paar density meter. These results have been used to develop the following equation of state for GSL (σ = ± 0.32 kg m⁻³):

ρ−ρ⁰=184.01062+1.04708∗S−1.21061∗T +3.14721E−4∗S²+0.00199T²−0.00112∗S∗T,

where ρ ⁰ is the density of pure water in kg m⁻³, S is conductivity salinity g L⁻¹, and T is water temperature in degrees Kelvin.