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EESA07 Lec Notes 02

This document provides an overview of various topics related to the hydrologic cycle and water resources on Earth. It discusses how ocean currents are formed and influence global climate, the different factors that determine the density of water, and sources of freshwater like glaciers, groundwater, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. It also introduces concepts like watersheds, water usage for production, and concerns about meeting future water demands with a growing population.

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Brendan L.
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33 views

EESA07 Lec Notes 02

This document provides an overview of various topics related to the hydrologic cycle and water resources on Earth. It discusses how ocean currents are formed and influence global climate, the different factors that determine the density of water, and sources of freshwater like glaciers, groundwater, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. It also introduces concepts like watersheds, water usage for production, and concerns about meeting future water demands with a growing population.

Uploaded by

Brendan L.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EESA07 Lec Notes 01 CONT

● Oceans cover 70% of the earth’s surface


○ Uneven distribution of land and oceans is caused by tectonic
plates
○ Human tolerance for salt is <2
○ Industry/agriculture cannot use salt water
○ Serves as depository for A LOT of CO2 (co2 causes oceanic
acidification)
● Surface ocean currents
○ Gyre - circular ocean currents
○ Persistent prevailing winds create currents
○ Coriolis effect
■ Earth’s rotation affects surface/shallow ocean currents
○ On a spinning globe like the earth, as you move toward a spot
which is spinning faster, you will move to the right
As you move to a slower spot, you'll also move to the right
● Salt water has a higher density than fresh water
● How temperature and salinity affect the density of water
○ Saltier water = denser
○ Colder water = denser
● Polar ice caps generate cold dense water that creates deep ocean
circulation
● Ocean currents bring different temperature water around the world,
moderating/mediating temperatures around the world
● Glaciers of kilimanjaro
○ Furtwangler glacier
○ Melting
● People are depending on the freshwater from melting glaciers, when it
runs out they will be in trouble
● Groundwater
○ Water stored under the earth’s surface
○ One of the largest fresh water sources (30% of freshwater)
○ Replenished when precipitation falls on land and seeps into an
aquifer (geological formation containing water) (can store water
in it)
○ Water table = groundwater surface, basically
● Groundwater can source its water from nearby surface water (as it
usually does)
○ Usually better in terms of pollutants than the surface water, but if
the surface water is polluted, the corresponding ground water will
also be polluted. Just not as much
● Groundwater can range from salty to relatively mineral free
● Main source of water for many
● Rivers
○ 0.0001% of world’s water
○ Surface water transport system
○ Vary in size, speed, aquatic population, quality, and temperature
● More oxygen in the water in the winter
EESA07 Lec Notes 01 CONT

○ Colder temperatures keep gases in liquids


● Melting glaciers put cold dense water into the ocean currents, which
change and cool the water currents

● Ephemeral Streams
○ Dry rivers, only flow after storm events
● Intermittent streams
○ Consistently fed by storm and groundwater
● Influent stream
○ Water table is below the stream
○ Streams → GW
● Effluent stream
○ Water table is higher than water level
○ GW → streams
○ Groundwater discharges out into the streams
● Fossil water
○ Water remaining as a result of glacial melting
○ Renewal rate is less than 1% annually
○ Canada contains nearly 50% of the world’s lakes
○ Inland body of water found in a topographic depression
○ Glaciers curved all the topographic depression, which are filled
with the water from those same glaciers
● Lake stratification
○ Lower you go in the summer months, the colder/denser water
you find
○ In summer the water is layered
■ Thermocline (steep temperature gradient in the water)
■ Hypolimnion (lower cooler water gradient of a lake)
■ Epilimnion (upper layer of a stratified lake)
○ In spring, water will be well mixed
● 4 degree celsius water is heaviest
○ Density vs temperature graph
● Wetlands act as natural sponges
○ Wetland is an area which is saturated by surface or groundwater
for long enough periods of time to develop vegetation and
weland soils
○ Canada has 25% of the world’s wetlands
○ Important because it mitigates floods, purifies water, and is an
important habitat
● Atmosphere
○ Gaseous envelope that surrounds a planet
○ Only 0.1% of world's water is found here, BUT it is extremely
important to the world for a multitude of reasons, including but
not limited to water replenishment
● Watersheds
○ Topographic area within which apparent surface water drains to
a specific waterbody
○ No matter where you are, you are in a drainage basin
EESA07 Lec Notes 01 CONT

■ Aka area that drains to a certain waterbody, aka


watershed
○ Can be massive
○ All pesticides and such put into water in a watershed will leak
into the watershed, leading to the corresponding body of water,
thus watersheds must be maintained to maintain the quality of
the corresponding body of water
● Humans are doubling in population
● Settlement patterns
○ Megacities
■ Massive, densely populated urban centres of 100 million
or more
● Danger from flooding, increased contamination
of surface and groundwater supplies
● Resource depletion
● Poor air quality
● Virtual water
○ Total amount of water used in the production of anything
■ Ex. water used to produce beef
■ Increased water and food demands create concern
regarding earth’s carrying capacity
■ Clean water supplies will eventually be inadequate to
supply the needs of increasing population

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