INTRO TO MARINE SCIENCE - LECTURE 2

Water on Earth and Earth's Structure

What is the most important feature on Earth?

water

• visible from space

What % of Earth’s surface is water?

71%

What % of Earth’s surface is land?

29%

In what Hemisphere is most of the Earth’s water located?

Southern Hemisphere

In what hemisphere is most of Earth’s land located?

Northern Hemisphere

What allows the existence of liquid water?

• Earth’s position in the solar system

• Earth’s rotational period

• Earth’s thick atmosphere

What is a reservoir?

a place where water is stored

What % of water is stored in the oceans?

90%

What % of water is stored on land as ice?

2%

What % of water is stored on land?

<1%

Large Reservoirs =

long residence times

Small Reservoirs =

short residence times

What controls the distribution of water?

Hydrologic cycle

Hydrologic Cycle

controls distribution of water

What % of evaporation is from the oceans?

80%

What % of evaporation is from inland water and vegetation?

20%

How long does it take to evaporate the volume of the oceans, pass it through the atmosphere, and land back in the ocean?

38,000 years

What are the 5 major oceans?

• Southern/Antarctic

• Pacific

• Atlantic

• Indian

• Arctic

What is the largest ocean?

Pacific

How much of Earth’s surface does the Pacific Ocean cover?

36%

How much of Earth’s surface does the Atlantic cover?

18.6%

How much of Earth’s surface does the Indian Ocean cover?

14.5%

How much of Earth’s surface does the Arctic Ocean cover?

2.4%

P-waves can be compared to _________.

a slinky

S-waves can be compared to _________.

slamming a rope

What are the characteristics of a p-wave?

• compressional

• first to arrive

• goes through solid, liquid, and gas

What are the characteristics of a s-wave?

• shear

• second to arrive

• goes through solid

What do Earthquake waves help us understand?

the interior of Earth

What is the average density of the whole planet?

5.51 g/cm³

What is the average density of surface rocks?

2.7 g/cm³

The more interior you go, _____________.

the more dense it gets