Virtual salt flux
= Virtual salt flux
{title2=$ES_0$}
The salt forcing used to represent freshwater exchange while retaining a fixed reference volume. Removing freshwater at <volume flux> $E$ is represented by a salt input $ES_0$, and adding freshwater by the opposite salt forcing, with reference <salinity> $S_0$. Replacing the actual salinity in a compensating-flow <salt budget> by $S_0$ is an approximation when salinity contrasts are small.