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I think to call it a sea it must be huge and salty. The arguments against this in the article is that Baltic sea is "pretty fresh", so it actually is salty. Th

I think to call it a sea it must be huge and salty. The arguments against this in the article is that Baltic sea is "pretty fresh", so it actually is salty. They also say the Dead sea is a lake, which is logical because it's tiny. If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know. Until then, these are just lakes! Which is fine, because a sea is not better than a lake, and vice versa.

daveslash 5y ago
Re >> If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know Sea of Tranquility. Checkmate. (Okay, I'll show myself out...)
webstrand 5y ago
The Sea of Galilee is actually freshwater. But on the other hand lake doesn't imply freshwater, e.g. The Great Salt Lake.
- dncornholio 5y ago
  A lake can be salty, but a sea cannot be fresh. The Sea of Galilee is a lake, just like the Dead Sea.
- dehrmann 5y ago
  I think this is just because it's been called that historically. It's smaller than Lake Tahoe, so there isn't much debate about it being a lake.
technothrasher 5y ago
> If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know. Until then, these are just lakes! That feels a bit circular. If you define sea as having to contain saltwater, then how could anybody point you to a sea that isn't salty?
- quietbritishjim 5y ago
  Because language is defined by usage, if there was a body of water that is freshwater but widely agreed to be a sea then the parent commenter is agreeing to revise their definition to match.
  - jamincan 5y ago
    It seems like a no-true-scotsman problem. The examples of seas that are freshwater are dismissed as not actually seas since they're freshwater.
    - dncornholio 5y ago
      I thought I'd go with the same method as the article, using examples. I dismissed all the examples the article has given, and asked for better examples where we call a fresh water body a sea. I think we haven't and shouldn't. It's already confusing enough. Call all salty water bodies seas would be fine with me. But including non salty waters will only add to the confusion.
      - jamincan 5y ago
        Well someone pointed out the Sea of Galilee (which is a lake, but then so is the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea).
itslennysfault 5y ago
I think... you should've read the article.

daveslash 5y ago

Re >> If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know Sea of Tranquility. Checkmate. (Okay, I'll show myself out...)

webstrand 5y ago

The Sea of Galilee is actually freshwater. But on the other hand lake doesn't imply freshwater, e.g. The Great Salt Lake.

dncornholio 5y ago
A lake can be salty, but a sea cannot be fresh. The Sea of Galilee is a lake, just like the Dead Sea.
dehrmann 5y ago
I think this is just because it's been called that historically. It's smaller than Lake Tahoe, so there isn't much debate about it being a lake.

technothrasher 5y ago

> If anyone can point to a sea that's not salty, I'd be happy to know. Until then, these are just lakes! That feels a bit circular. If you define sea as having to contain saltwater, then how could anybody point you to a sea that isn't salty?

quietbritishjim 5y ago
Because language is defined by usage, if there was a body of water that is freshwater but widely agreed to be a sea then the parent commenter is agreeing to revise their definition to match.
- jamincan 5y ago
  It seems like a no-true-scotsman problem. The examples of seas that are freshwater are dismissed as not actually seas since they're freshwater.
  - dncornholio 5y ago
    I thought I'd go with the same method as the article, using examples. I dismissed all the examples the article has given, and asked for better examples where we call a fresh water body a sea. I think we haven't and shouldn't. It's already confusing enough. Call all salty water bodies seas would be fine with me. But including non salty waters will only add to the confusion.
    - jamincan 5y ago
      Well someone pointed out the Sea of Galilee (which is a lake, but then so is the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea).

itslennysfault 5y ago

I think... you should've read the article.