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Notes #2_ Distribution of Water

Earth's surface is 71% water, with 97% being saltwater and only 3% as freshwater, primarily found in glaciers and ice caps. The hydrosphere encompasses all water on Earth, and processes like evaporation and condensation are key to the water cycle. Aquifers, river basins, and watersheds are essential components of water distribution and management.

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9 views

Notes #2_ Distribution of Water

Earth's surface is 71% water, with 97% being saltwater and only 3% as freshwater, primarily found in glaciers and ice caps. The hydrosphere encompasses all water on Earth, and processes like evaporation and condensation are key to the water cycle. Aquifers, river basins, and watersheds are essential components of water distribution and management.

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nkkanehaspel
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Notes #2: Distribution of water

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. How much of Earth’s surface is covered in
water?
2.What % is salt and what % is fresh water?
3.What is freshwater?
4. Where is most of Earth’s freshwater found?
5. What process changes water from a liquid
to a gas? From a gas to a liquid?
6. Define infiltration and runoff.
Vocabulary terms

- Hydrosphere - Water table


- Aquifer - Estuary
- Infiltration - Evaporation
- Permeability - Precipitation
- River basin - Condensation
- Watershed - Water cycle
- Confined aquifer - Runoff
- Unconfined aquifer - Transpiration
- Water Table
- Reservoir
Earth’s Water
Hydrosphere: all of the water found on, above,
or below the Earth’s surface

Earth is a water planet


– 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water
– All living things are composed of 50% or more
water (humans usually 60%, but range 45-70%)
– All living things need water to survive
The Hydrosphere
• 97% of the Earth’s water is saltwater
• This leaves 3% as freshwater
– Not salty, can be used for life functions
– Stored in ice caps, lakes, rivers, groundwater,
etc.

Most freshwater is found in ice caps +


glaciers.
The Hydrosphere
• Most of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen
in the polar ice caps.
– Salt does not freeze so it is left behind in the
ocean and the fresh water rises due to being less
dense than the salt water.
• Groundwater
– 1/3 of the Earth’s freshwater
– Water located below the Earth’s surface
• 20 times more of Earth’s liquid freshwater is
found below the surface than on the surface.
Groundwater
Aquifer:A rock layer that collects and stores water
Water flows through the ground due to the grounds
permeability
Permeability: the ability of a material to allow liquids to
pass through.
Infiltration: to pass through a substance by filtering or
permeating, water soaking into the ground
Permeability describes how easily water can flow through
the rock or sediment and how easy it will be to extract the
water for our purposes
How do aquifers work? Watch this video!
Types of aquifers
Confined aquifer: aquifer that is trapped between two layers of
impermeable rock or clay, which prevents water from easily flowing
into or out. These layers exert pressure, so water in a confined aquifer
is often under pressure and can rise above the aquifer itself if tapped by
a well, creating an artesian well.

Unconfined aquifer: an aquifer without confining layers and is open


to receive water from the surface directly.

Unconfined aquifers are more easily recharged by rainfall or surface


water but is also more vulnerable to contamination from pollutants
that can seep down from the surface.

Water table: The water level in an unconfined aquifer can rise or fall
depending on rainfall and water usage.
4o
River Basins
River basin: a large geographical area
drained by a major river and its tributaries,
collecting water from rainfall, melting snow,
and groundwater.

River basins are extensive regions that often


span multiple watersheds, eventually funneling
water to a single large river, lake, or ocean.
River basin example
The Mississippi River Basin covers many
states and multiple smaller watersheds.
N.C. River Basins
Watersheds
Watershed : a smaller land area where all
the water flows toward a common water
body, like a stream, lake, or smaller river.

Watersheds make up the sub-regions within


larger river basins.
North Carolina’s Water
The Neuse River
– Begins in Orange and Person counties
– Flows 400 kilometers (250 miles) to the Pamlico Sound
– Pamlico Sound is an estuary.
Estuary: A body of water in which freshwater from a river
meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean creating a
unique ecosystem.
Reservoir: A large natural or artificial lake used as a source
of water supply.
Examples near us - Lake Crabtree, Lake Jordan, etc.
How Water Is Recycled
Water is recycled through the water cycle.

Water cycle: the movement of water through the


oceans, atmosphere, land, and living things.

- The water cycle is powered by energy from the sun.

- Each water molecule has probably been around for


billions of years! That’s because Earth’s water is
constantly recycled.
Evaporation: changes liquid water to water
vapor.
-Energy from the sun causes water to evaporate.
- Most evaporation is from the oceans because
they cover so much area. The water vapor rises
into the atmosphere.

Transpiration: changes liquid water to water


vapor in plants.
Condensation: changes water vapor to liquid water.
As air rises higher into the atmosphere, it cools.
Cool air can hold less water vapor than warm air. So
some of the water vapor condenses into water
droplets. Water droplets may form clouds.

Precipitation: water that falls from clouds to Earth’s


surface.

- Water droplets in clouds fall to Earth when they


become too large to stay aloft. The water falls as
rain if the air is warm. If the air is cold, the water
may freeze and fall as snow, sleet, or hail.
- Most precipitation falls into the oceans.
Runoff: precipitation that flows over the surface of
the land. This water may travel to a river, lake, or
ocean.

- Runoff may pick up fertilizer and other pollutants


and deliver them to the water body where it ends
up.
▶ 1. How much of Earth’s surface is covered in water?
71%
▶ 2.What % is salt and what % is fresh water? 97% 3%
▶ 3. What is freshwater?
Not salty and can be used for life functions.
▶ 4. Where is most of Earth’s freshwater found?
Glaciers/polar ice caps
▶ 5.What process changes water from a liquid to a gas?
Evaporation From a gas to a liquid? Condensation
▶ 6. Define infiltration and runoff.
Infiltration (percolation) is the process by which water
soaks into the ground.
Runoff is precipitation that flows over the surface of the
land.

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