I'm making chicken soup with celery and carrots. I just noticed that the celery floats on top. Does anyone know why?

Celery being crunchy has many "compartments" similar to a life vest, so it floats.

I"m guessing the celery, while it has water content, has zero salt compared to the broth.
Fresh water floats on denser salted water. After a bit, the salt of the broth will go in the celery and it'll sink.

I've noticed that if I don't saute the carrots, celery and onions first the celery and onions will float to the top for a while, but then after simmering a bit everything seems to come together. And I do agree that it probably has something to do with the water content in the celery.

Celery is about 90 percent water. We don't eat the veggies cooked in the soup, except for the carrot. If I want celery in the soup, I would add the chopped celery about 15 - 20 minutes before the soup is done.

Thanks for the quick answer. I chop the celery fairly large (bite size)I like to eat chunks, and I must say this is the first time I notice that the celery floats. Could it be the water content in the celery? The celery is very fresh. I'm at a loss.

I've been making chicken soup for decades and have never seen the celery float on top. Did you cut it up into little pieces? I always leave my stalks (leaves included) whole.