Now we know why Earth is called “The Water Planet”!!

The Water Planet Ok, so we know the Earth’s surface is 70% water The oceans surround landmasses called continents, which make up the remaining 30% The continents divide the oceans up into 4 major parts: The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean, The Indian Ocean, and The Arctic Ocean

Seas Where two continents lie close together, a smaller part of an ocean called a sea is formed An example is the Caribbean sea – it connects to the Atlantic ocean

Seas In fact, all of Earth’s oceans and seas are connected and flow into one another So, Earth’s surface (partly) is made up of one continuous body of water

How are geographical areas located on Earth? Latitude and Longitude!

Mapping the Earth Our planet is mapped by using lines of latitude and longitude Today, in class, we will do an activity that will help us remember how Lat and Long works So, have a pencil handy

The Water Budget Earth’s water budget is the total amount of water contained in and on the planet The oceans contain about 97% of all water on Earth! The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean Only 3% of water on Earth is freshwater About only 1/3 of all freshwater on Earth is found as liquid in lakes, rivers, and groundwater

Sea Level The sea level, simply put, is the point at which the ocean surface touches the shoreline So, the amount of water in the oceans must determine sea level! Over Earth’s long geologic history, the sea level has definitely changed About 12,000 years ago, during the last ice age, the sea level was about 100m lower than it is today Why?

Climate Change! Back then, Earth’s climate was much colder, there was increased snowfall, and as a result- Much of Earth’s water was frozen in the form of glaciers and polar ice caps When water freezes, less is available for the oceans and sea level drops What about today?

Present Day Since the last ice age, Earth’s climate has warmed significantly, causing much of this ice to melt This melting ice has added water to the oceans (through rainfall and runoff) So, sea level has risen because now with less frozen water, more is available to the oceans What does this mean for us? Global Warming?

The Water Cycle!!

The Water Cycle Earth’s water cycle is the continuous movement of water from the oceans to the atmosphere and back to the surface again It occurs through the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation