Difference Between Sea and Lake
Sea Vs Lake
Almost anybody knows the difference between a lake and a sea. However, when asked about the true nature of other seas like the Caspian Sea, people will already have second thoughts. Yes, the confusion sets in when identifying some bodies of water which are called seas but are actually lakes. An example of which is the very popular Dead Sea which happens to be the lowest level lake in the world, not to mention one of the saltiest there is. So how come the Dead Sea is a lake and not a sea?
First, a lake is an inland water body. This means that it is surrounded by land. The body of water is usually moderate to big in size with the water surface being exposed towards the atmosphere. Thus, most lakes in the world have a surface area of below 100 sq. mi. although there are dozens of other lakes that even spans to more than 1,500 sq. mi. in area. With regard to depth, the majority of lakes are shallower than the seas.
As mentioned, the confusion sets in because there are some lakes that are named as seas. Aside from the Dead Sea, the Caspian Sea is another lake that is called sea. It is treated by many as a sea because of its size. This lake is so huge that from whatever angle you’ll try to look at, it would seem as if you’re looking at a long stretch of shore. This is because the Caspian Sea is the biggest or largest lake in the world. It is bordered by several countries including Iran and Southern Russia. Another lake that is called a sea is the Aral Sea.
On the contrary, seas are different from lakes because they are not enclosed by land. They have a relatively bigger volume of water and are usually connected to the wide open ocean. Seas are undoubtedly deeper as compared to lakes. It is a continuous stretch of salt water. There’s an exemption to this definition however because a sea can also be a landlocked (like a lake) immense body of saline (salty) water which doesn’t have an outlet towards an ocean. This definition can best be applied to the case of the Caspian Sea.
Overall:
1.
Lakes are shallower than the seas
2.
Lakes are enclosed by a body of land.
3.
With regard to the volume of water, lakes can be small, moderate to big in size whereas seas are often always a lot bigger in size.
4.
Lakes can either be salt water or fresh water while seas are always salt water in nature.
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I don’t believe that this is completely accurate. The difference between a sea and a lake is also political. A lake’s waters can only be legally navigated by the countries that claim it whereas if the body of water is claimed to be a sea, any foreign vessel has the right to navigate freely. A treaty between the Soviet Union and Iran in 1967 (yr. ?) claims that the Caspian Sea is a lake.
yaa…….u r right bob.
Please give the answer of the questions that are asked .
Thank you, Bob! This really helps explain and is valuable to the answer. I will enjoy researching the further! 😀 Cheers!
A foreign vessel cannot freely navigate in a lake because it has no inlet. It is by definition enclosed by the countries that claim it. Your legal definition is a consequence of the definition given in this article. I don’t think it changes it.
Hello. Please some body help me about one issue .can you say me about difference pursuer between sea and lake when we going to deep .please send answer to my mail. I asked this of my boyfriend and he couldnt find true . Please help me .thank you.
Hi Julita,
I wanted to let you know that I found this to be a helpful article. However, at a minimum, you should have run it through a grammar and spell check. I promise my intentions are to help, not insult you. Please don’t mistake it as such.
As an adult just googling for a quick answer, I could navigate through it, however, more than likely, children are going to be reading this. Therefore, it really should be properly written.
Here a just a few of the examples I found and my suggested alternatives.
1) “Yes, the confusion sets in when identifying some bodies of water which are called seas but are actually lakes.”
Identifying which bodies of water are seas as opposed to lakes can be confusing because some bodies of water are mislabeled seas rather than lakes.
2) “An example of which is the very popular Dead Sea which happens to be the lowest level lake in the world, not to mention one of the saltiest there is.”
A very popular example, The Dead Sea, happens to be the world’s lowest level lake, and is also known as one of the saltiest seas.
3) “The body of water is usually moderate to big in size with the water surface being exposed towards the atmosphere.”
This is an unnecessary sentence. The sentence also contains an unnecessary confusing attribute / description: “with the water surface being exposed towards the atmosphere.”
Where else would the surface be exposed?
4) “Thus, most lakes in the world have a surface area of below 100 sq. mi. although there are dozens of other lakes that even spans to more than 1,500 sq. mi. in area. With regard to depth, the majority of lakes are shallower than the seas.”
Although most lakes have a surface areas below 100 square miles, some span over 1,500 square miles.
(New sentence*)
More often than not, seas are deeper than lakes.
(Then add supporting evidence to compare depths between lakes and seas.)
5) “With regard to the volume of water, lakes can be small, moderate to big in size whereas seas are often always a lot bigger in size.”
Although lakes can be large or small, more often than not, seas are larger.
I hope I’ve helped you.
For example #3, I think they’re talking about subterranean lakes. The earth has many underground lakes and seas. Some are referred to as aquifers.
Thank-you, I found this to be informative. But it leaves one major question in my mind. Why do these, in fact, lakes have “sea” put into their names, or titles? The inquiry that led me here was originally about the Salton Sea. her in California.
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Also, (I’m going out on a limb here) “differencebetween.net” does appear to be a informational, referential website, and the only way anyone would have gotten to this specific page is that they likely Googled “what’s the difference between a lake and a sea”. So your opening line of “Almost anybody knows the difference between a lake and a sea” seems a little presumptuous as the only reason your article exists is because the difference between a lake and a sea is, indeed, something that people would inquire about. It’s sort of a “bite the hand that feeds you” situation, there.
This is true. I felt insulted after reading the first sentence.
what classification would the great salt lake in utah be?