Tasting Frozen Saltwater

When salt water partially freezes, why does the frozen part taste saltier than the liquid part?
- Charlotte (age 10)
Oshawa, ON Canada

I bet that which tastes saltier depends on how fast the water was frozen, etc. If you freeze some of the water quickly, some salt gets stuck in tiny crevices in the ice. Maybe if you lick that ice, the first thing you taste is that very salty part, since the pure water part mostly stays frozen. Over in the liquid part, you just taste the average saltiness of the solution. But I’m guessing a bit here.

Mike W.

Lee H

(published on 10/22/2007)