How Can The Oceans Be Described? Ms.Aja Chapter 7 Lesson 1

The Hydrosphere Bodies of water play a huge role in our lives. They give us a way to travel, places to catch food and beautiful sights to visit. All the waters of Earth make up the hydrosphere. Almost all hydrosphere is ocean water. The hydrosphere covers ¾ of the Earth’s surface. The Pacific Ocean is the largest followed by the Indian, Southern and Atlantic Ocean. Each ocean is different. They have different temperatures and the amount of salt varies.

Salinity Salinity is the measure of how salty water is. The oceans get salt from rivers Rivers dissolve small amounts of salts from rocks and soils and carry the salts to the ocean. Places where rivers pour fresh water into the ocean have low salinity. In warm areas, ocean water evaporates fairly quickly. Salt is left behind and the ocean water has higher salinity. Most current in the oceans’ surfaces are caused by wind.

Ocean Temperature The temperature in the ocean varies The closer you are to the equator, the warmer the temperature will be. The nearer you are to the poles, the colder it will be. Just because you are closer to the pole, doesn’t mean it will be colder. There are some currents that carry warm water. An example is the Gulfstream Current

Ocean Resources Most of the salt we add to our food comes from the ocean. This happens when people evaporate the ocean water. Other materials such as magnesium and drinking water also come from the ocean. Ocean water can be made drinkable by removing the salt. This is something that is expensive Many of the things that we eat come from the ocean.

Questions What is salinity and what causes some ocean water to have a higher salinity than other ocean water? How much of Earth is covered by water?

Answers About 75% of the Earth is covered in water. This is equal to ¾. Salinity is the measure of how salty water is. In warmer areas, water evaporates quickly, so warm ocean water has higher salinity.