Water, Land, and Air; Landforms Simrin Khan, Ariel Rocio, Michael Chung

 70% of the Earth is made up of water, which is why astronauts see it as a deep, blue color from space.  About 30% of the Earth’s surface is land- including continents and islands.  The air is part of Earth’s atmosphere, a layer of gases extending about 6,000 miles above the planet’s surface.

By Simrin Khan

Layers of Earth Land makes up the part of the Earth called the lithosphere. The lithosphere also included the ocean basins, or the land beneath the oceans.

Elevations

The highest point on Earth is Mt. Everest. It is said to be 29,035 feet high.

The lowest point on land on earth is at the Dead Sea, on the border of Jordan and Israel. The Dead Sea lies at 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level. The lowest point in the sea on earth is the Pacific Ocean's Marianas Trench. It's near Guam and is 35,840 feet (10,924 m) deep.

Types of Landforms

Valleys A valley is a hollow or surface depression of the earth bounded by hills or mountains, a natural trough in the earth's surface, that slopes down to a stream, lake or the ocean, formed by water and/or ice erosion.

Plateaus A plateau is a large highland area of fairly level land separated from surrounding land by steep slopes Colorado Plateau

Glaciers A glacier is a large mass of ice that flows slowly over land. 75% of Earth’s fresh water is locked into glaciers.

Mountains Over long periods of time, mountains are created by tremendous forces in the earth with a steep top usually shaped up to a peak or ridge. Mountains occur more often in oceans than on land; some islands are the peaks of mountains coming out of the water.

Plains Plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land that have no great changes in elevation. Plains are generally lower than the land around them. There are 2 main types of plains.

By Michael Chung

Importance  The atmosphere is what protects all animals on land from most of the harmful rays that come from the sun.  Air also has the essential gasses such as oxygen that all animals have to breath.

Exosphere  From 640 to km (400 to 4000 mi) above the earths surface  The air is very thin here because the molecules are drifting off into space.

Thermosphere  80 to 640 km (50 to 400 mi) above earths surface  The air here absorbs solar radiation  Can reach temperatures of 230C(440F)  It is made up of two layers ionosphere and the magnetosphere which mess with the radio signals

Facts  The air is made up of 78% nitrogen 21%oxygen and 1% other gasses.  The composition of the air changes constantly depending on the season, weather, time of day, latitude, longitude, and elevation.

Mesosphere  50 to 80 km (31 to 50 mi) above earths surface  The space debris that falls to earth start to burn up here  Temperatures can reach as low as -90C(- 130F)

Stratosphere  16 to 50 km (10 to 30 mi) above earths surface  The ozone layer is in the stratosphere  As you rise in the stratosphere the temperature rises

Troposphere  16km (10mi) above earths surface at the equator 8km (5 mi) at the poles  Weather such as rain, snow, sleet, hail… forms here  75% of earths atmosphere is in the troposphere  The temperature can get as cold as -75C (- 103F)

By Ariel Rocio

The Geography of Water  Geography effects where water is found in places where water collects important geographic features are formed. Also, the geography of water has an effect on the environment and ecosystem.  There are many geographic water features. Salt water features are harbors, seas, sounds, straits and bays.  Fresh water features are rivers, streams, tributaries, reservoirs and ponds.

Ground Water  Earth has forty times more water underground than is found in lakes, rivers, and streams as surface water.  Ground water is a result of precipitation falling on porous ground spaces  Between the soil particles allows water to seep and then flow beneath Earth's surface

Zone of Saturation  The zone of saturation is a layer of porous fractured rock, sands, and gravels that become saturated with water  The upper layer of the zone of saturation is also called the water table.  Within the zone of saturation is an area where water can be delivered to the surface called the aquifer

Confined Aquifer  The Confined Aquifer has an impermeable Aquitard  The aquitard covers the aquifer with a confining layer of earth material  Clay, shale, and igneous or metamorphic rocks are layers of earth’s material

Unconfined Aquifer  Unconfined Aquifer has no impermeable layer restricting the upper surface of the zone saturation  Water can be delivered to the surface from an unconfined aquifer.  The amount of water in an aquifer depends on several factors.

Porosity  Porosity is how much space is available between the fractured rocks and soil where water might saturate the area.  When you pack soil loosely it can hold more water than tightly packed soil.

Permeability  Permeability is how well water flows through the rock and soil.  Ground water is primarily replenished by precipitation.  In areas where its too much real estate, to replenish because the soils are covered with concrete and asphalt

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