"Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink" is a phrase from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This poem describes an ocean ship unable to sail to land and running out of its supply of fresh water; sailors have long known that drinking sea water cannot prevent death from dehydration. What would result if the sailors attempted to alleviate their dehydration by drinking sea water? Justify your answer by describing kidney physiology. Why wouldn't reflexes in response to dehydration fully compensate? What does this illustrate about the force allowing kidneys to retain water under more normal conditions?
I understand that the sea water has a higher concentration of salt than the human body, but I do not fully understand the function of the kidneys in this process.