Brine

Brine is water containing a high concentration of dissolved salts, chiefly sodium chloride. Its salinity exceeds that of seawater or varies by use and context.

Pickling: Food preservation by immersion in acidic liquid or salt solution. Salt brines preserve vegetables and other foods by limiting microbial growth.
Salinity: The concentration of dissolved salts in water. Brine is distinguished from less saline water by its high salt concentration.
Seawater: The saline water that covers most of Earth’s oceans and seas. Brine usually has substantially higher salinity than ordinary seawater.
Produced water: Water brought to the surface during the extraction of oil or natural gas. Some produced water is highly saline and requires management as brine.
Curing (food preservation): Food preservation using salt, sugar, smoke, or combinations of these treatments. Brining is a wet-curing method that seasons and preserves meat.
Freezing-point depression: The lowering of a liquid’s freezing temperature when a solute is dissolved in it. Dissolved salts let brine remain liquid below water’s normal freezing point.
Hypersaline water: Water whose dissolved-salt concentration exceeds that of typical seawater. Brines are a prominent form of hypersaline water.
Brine shrimp: Small crustaceans of the genus Artemia that thrive in highly saline waters. Brine shrimp illustrate how specialized organisms can live in concentrated brines.
Desalination: The removal of dissolved salts and other minerals from water. Desalination processes create concentrated brine as a residual stream.
Osmosis: The net movement of solvent across a selectively permeable membrane toward higher solute concentration. Brine draws water from cells through osmotic pressure during food preservation.

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