Post on 12-May-2018
What is the water
cycle?
Continuous movement of
water from the atmosphere
to the earth’s surface and
back to the atmosphere
again.
Transpiration -
plants giving off
water vapor
Evaporation – liquid
water changing into
water vapor
Condensation: water vapor (gas) changes into
liquid water.
Precipitation: water falls from clouds to the
ground.
The underground water that
fills almost all the pores in
rock and sediment.
Makes up 90% of the
earth’s unfrozen freshwater
supply.
Aquifer: a body of rock sediment in
which large amounts of water can flow
and be stored.
Porosity: percentage of open spaces in rock.
Permeability: how easily water flows through
open spaces. (can water pass through or
not?)
Zone of Saturation: the layer of ground where all the pores are filled with water.◦ The upper surface of the
zone of saturation is called the water table.
Russia
Beginning of a river
Usually found in the mountains.
Runoff from mountains flows to lowest point.
Smaller rivers that feed into a big river.
More often found in mountains than on flat land.
Where the river flows into a larger body of water
Ex. a lake, ocean, another river.
Watershed – area that drains into a body of water
River Basin - A region of land that drains into a river system (contains many different watersheds).
Separates one river basin from the next.
Young river: v-shaped channel; steep sides
Mature river: u-shaped channel; more sloping sides; some meanders (bends)
Old river: flatter u-shaped channel; sloping sides; lots of meanders
Sediment is deposited in a stream
when there is a decrease in the
speed of the water.
Decreased slope (steeper--> faster)
Bed widening (more friction)
Obstruction (slows down when it goes
around rock, tree, bridge)
Sloping fan-shaped deposit of
sediments
When a stream goes from steep drop to flat
land.
Very slow moving water, leads to sediment
being deposited making flood plains fertile.
Curves in a river caused by an obstruction.
Erosion occurs on the outside of a bend.
Deposition occurs on the inside of a bend.
Crescent shaped body of water, when a
part of a meander is cut off from the river.
Buildup of sediments at the mouth of a river.
Water slows down as it empties into another
body of water.
Oceans and Ocean Circulation
70%!
96% PURE
WATER
4% dissolved elements:
Cl, Na, Mg S, Ca, K
A measure of dissolved solids in sea water
Number of grams of dissolved salts in 1 kilogram of water
Measured in parts per thousand (ppt)
Evaporation and freezing increases salinity
Density is the mass of a substance per unit volume (D=m/v)
Affected by two things:◦Salinity: dissolved solids make water more dense
◦Temperature: Cold water is more dense
Factors affecting Seawater density
high salinity=increase density
Low temp = increase density
*Tempereature has a greater influence
*Occurs at low latitudes. Thermocline is absent at high latitudes.
http://marinebio.org/oceans/temperature/
Nitrogen, Carbon dioxide, and oxygen are most abundant
CO2 dissolves most easily
Cold water holds more gases than warm water
Divided into 3 major oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Indian Oceans
The term “sea” refers to smaller areas of the ocean that are partially surrounded by land.
Ex: Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Ocean water moves in giant streams called currents that flow like rivers at the surface or far below.
There are 2 types of currents:
◦ Surface
◦ Density
Move on the surface of the ocean
Driven by wind
1.Warm:
Flow away from the equator toward the poles
Because areas near the equator are warm
Example: Gulf Stream
2. Cold Flow toward the
equator away from the poles
Originate at the poles where the water is cold
Example: California current
Red are Warm Currents and
Black are cold currents
Surface Currents
Wind is the driving force behind the formation of surface currents.
2 sets of wind patterns involved in forming most surface currents.◦ Trade Winds – Blow toward the equator
◦ Westerlies – Blow away from the equator
Move beneath the surface of the ocean
Caused by differences in the density of water a.k.a.Thermohaline Circulation
Begins at the poles where cold dense water sinks.
Warmer water moves in to take its place creating a current.
This drives the “global conveyer belt”
Process moves very slowly
One section on the “global conveyer belt”make take 1,000 years to fully cycle through the ocean!!