Where is Earth’s Water?

The water on earth is spread through the lithosphere, hydrosphere and the atmosphere layers.

The lithosphere is the solid, rocky crust covering the entire planet The lithosphere is the solid, rocky crust covering the entire planet. Water is a major factor in weathering and erosion of rocks and the rock cycle.

erosion

The hydrosphere is composed of all of the water on or near the earth The hydrosphere is composed of all of the water on or near the earth. This includes the oceans, rivers, lakes, and even the moisture in the air. 97% of the earth's water is in the oceans.

The atmosphere contains water in the form of water vapor and precipitation.

The water cycle moves water through these layers.

When water reaches earth’s surface, some of it will flow along the surface of the earth as runoff while the rest of it soaks into the soil.

The water goes through the soil until it becomes groundwater and is stored in the aquifer below.

Eventually, after years, the groundwater enters a lake or stream Eventually, after years, the groundwater enters a lake or stream. There, the water will once again be evaporated and begin the cycle again.

Earth’s Bodies of Water

Rivers A river is usually freshwater and flows toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river.

River water comes from precipitation through surface runoff, groundwater, springs, and the release of water stored in glaciers and snowpacks.

River Meander

Streams A stream is a flowing body of water with a current, confined within stream banks.

Lake A lake is a body of water that is set in the bottom of a bowl-shaped hole. A body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, is not part of a ocean, and is fed by a river.

OCEANS OCEANS

Most of the earth is covered by ocean Most of the earth is covered by ocean. Oceans give us food and help keep the air temperature steady.

Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Southern Ocean Southern Ocean

On the ocean bed there are mountains, valleys and even volcanoes.

There are three basic layers or zones in the ocean.

Sunlit Zone: This is the top layer, nearest the surface Sunlit Zone: This is the top layer, nearest the surface. It is also called the euphotic zone. Here there is enough light penetrating the water to support photosynthesis. 

Because photosynthesis occurs here, more than 90 percent of all marine life lives in the sunlit zone, which goes down about 600 feet. 

Twilight Zone: Only a small amount of light can penetrate the water at this depth. As the water becomes deeper, the pressure increases, too. Plants do not grow here. Only animals that have adapted to little light survive. 

This murky part of the ocean begins at about 600 feet and extends to the darkest part, which begins about 3,000 feet down.

Midnight Zone: Ninety percent of the ocean is in the midnight zone Midnight Zone: Ninety percent of the ocean is in the midnight zone. It is entirely dark—there is no light. The water pressure is extreme. The temperature is near freezing. 

The living things found here live close to cracks in the Earth's crust and feed on a special type of bacteria.

The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean and is almost 7 miles deep. It is the deepest part of Earth that we know about.

Food provided by the ocean is fish, shellfish, and seaweed Food provided by the ocean is fish, shellfish, and seaweed. Kelp, a kind of seaweed, provides algin, which is used as a thickening in ice cream, salad dressing and cosmetics.

There are estimated to be between 500,000 and 5,000,000 marine species not yet discovered.

Salt in the oceans and seas comes from rocks that have been broken and worn down by wind and water. Chemicals from the rocks dissolve in the water and make it salty.

Oil and natural gas are the main energy resources provided by the ocean.

Oceans play a big part in maintaining a healthy environment Oceans play a big part in maintaining a healthy environment. One of their jobs is to soak up CO2.

The ocean absorbs about 1/4 of the CO2 we create when we burn fossil fuels. If not for the ocean, we'd be in even worse trouble with too much CO2.

The oceans also soak up heat and distribute it more evenly around the Earth. The top few meters of the ocean stores as much heat as Earth's entire atmosphere.

That means that as the planet warms, it's the ocean that gets most of the extra energy.

But if the ocean gets too warm, then the plants and animals that live in it must adapt--or die.

Algae and plankton are at the bottom of the food chain Algae and plankton are at the bottom of the food chain. Plankton includes many different kinds of tiny animals, plants, or bacteria that just float and drift in the ocean.

Other tiny animals such as krill (sort of like little shrimp) eat the plankton. Fish and even whales and seals feed on the krill.

In some parts of the ocean, krill populations have dropped by over 80 percent. Krill like to breed in really cold water and as the ocean warms, their breeding slows down.

Scarcity of krill causes a decrease in food for all the ocean’s animals.

Another problem is the ocean is becoming more acidic Another problem is the ocean is becoming more acidic. What does this mean? Liquids are either acid or alkaline

Normally, ocean water is less acidic than fresh water Normally, ocean water is less acidic than fresh water. Unfortunately, as the ocean absorbs more and more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it becomes more acidic.

When the ocean absorbs too much CO2, the water becomes more acidic When the ocean absorbs too much CO2, the water becomes more acidic. The alkalinity of the ocean is very important in maintaining the balance needed for animals to make protective shells.

If the water is too acidic, the animals may not be able to make strong shells. Corals could also be affected, since their skeletons are made of the same shell-like material.

Coral reefs are an essential part of ocean ecosystems and are home to over 25% of all known species of marine life.

75% of the world’s coral reefs are already at risk 75% of the world’s coral reefs are already at risk. Unless things change, more than 90% of coral reefs will at risk by 2030 and all the world’s reefs will be threatened by 2050.

Scientists have determined the main causes of threats to the oceans include climate change, overfishing, pollution and habitat loss.

Other factors include an increase in areas of low oxygen levels areas (42 areas in 1950 -783 sites today) and even dead zones, which are areas with no oxygen in the water.

Taking Water for Granted

Today nearly 1 billion people in the world don't have access to clean water. Water scarcity is either the lack of enough water or lack of access to safe water.

That is approximately 1/3 of the world’s population or basically 1 in every eight people in the world. 31/2 million people die each year from water-related disease.

1 out of 6 people in the world Every day 4,500 children under the age of 5 years old die because of a sickness related to unclean water. 1 out of 6 people in the world has no access to clean water within mile of their home.

Sometimes there is water, but not enough money to get it Sometimes there is water, but not enough money to get it. Other times, it is an area that lacks enough water for its population.

In a day, Europeans use about 50 gallons of water In a day, Europeans use about 50 gallons of water. American use 100 gallons. Those living in sub-Saharan Africa use 2-5 gallons per day.

Many people don’t realize how much water is needed to manufacture the things we use.

It takes10 gallons of water to make a single slice of bread, 713 gallons to produce a cotton t-shirt, 1,000 gallons to make 1 gallon of milk, and 634 gallons to produce 1 burger.