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The Haline contraction coefficient, abbreviated as β, is a coefficient that describes the change in ocean density due to a salinity change, while the potential temperature and the pressure are kept constant. It is a parameter in the Equation Of State of the ocean. β is also described as the saline contraction coefficient and is measured in / in the EOS that describes the ocean. An example is TEOS-10. This is the thermodynamic equation of state.
β is the salinity variant of the thermal expansion coefficient α, where the density changes due to a change in temperature instead of salinity. With these two coefficients, the density ratio can be calculated. This determines the contribution of the temperature and salinity to the density of a water parcel.
β is called a contraction coefficient, because when salinity increases, water becomes denser, and if the temperature increases, water becomes less dense.