Environmental Science 3

Hydrosphere

Refers to the total amount of water in Earth. It includes water on the surface, underground and in the air. It can be in the form of liquid, vapor, and ice.

Earth

Water Planet / Blue Planet. Made up of 71% water.

333 cubic miles/1,336 million cubic kilometers

Total amount of water on earth

Cryosphere

The frozen part of the hydrosphere.

Water Vapor

Most visible component of the hydrosphere

Ice, Glacier, Ice caps, Iceberg

Examples of Cryosphere

Clouds, fog

Examples of Water Vapor

Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Runoff, Transpiration

Steps in Water Cycle

Evaporation

Water on the surface. Liquid to gas.

Condensation

Water in the atmosphere cools and turns into water droplets

Precipitation

Main source of water vapor. Rain, Snow, Hail and Sleet

Runoff

Water from precipitation returns to the surface

Transpiration

Water returns to the air from plants

Structural Components of Water

Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Sulphate, Calcium Sulphate, Potassium Sulphate, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Bromide

Common Elements found in Ocean Water

Oxygen, Hydrogen, Chlorine, Sodium, Magnesium

Surface water

Important to land dwelling animals.

Gullies

Trenches worn by running water after a rain. They join together until they become streams.

Rivers

Large streams that are fed by smaller streams.

Estuary

When saltwater meets freshwater

Lakes

When water finds its way to a basin. In order to continue on existing they need new sources of water.

Swamps

Shallower than lakes. Shallow enough for plant growth. Surrounded by water tolerant trees (bakawan)

Marshes

Dominated by grasses or reeds. Rich with life (frog, turtles, birds and fish.

Underground Water

Water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface.

Earth’s Ice

Second to the ocean in terms of water storage

Permafrost

Frozen soil found in Alaska, Canada, Siberia

Pacific Ocean

Largest ocean on Earth, Notorious for bad weather.

Atlantic Ocean

Deep Ocean, Average depth is slightly less than Pacific’s

Arctic Ocean

Water is frozen in ice cap, colder than other oceans, smaller and shallower.

Salinity, Temperature, Density, Pressure

Characteristic of Oceans