If saline water intrusion reaches plants roots system, the plant will die of dehydration. Plants rely on osmosis for their water supply, the concept is based on the plants having a higher concentration of salts in their system and thus water moves in from the outside in an attempt to equalize the ion concentration. If however the water in contact with the plants have a higher concentration of salts then the plants themselves have the effect will be the opposite; water from inside the plants will move out of them.
This can cause a shift in the ecosystems towards plants adapted for survival in and around salty water.
Effects on animals
In the same way that plants dehydrate when exposed to saline water, so do animals and humans when they drink it. This is why salty peanuts and crisps are served in bars, to make people drink more. Another problem is kidney failure caused by the high amounts of salt in saline water
Effects on agriculture
As you now know plants react badly to saline water, for farmers this can be a huge problem. In many agricultural areas rain water alone is not enough to sustain the crops. Irrigation and pumping up groundwater is the most commonly used solution to this. But if the groundwater which is used is salty the crops will die and the soil might even become useless.
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