DISTRIBUTI

ON OF
WATER ON
EARTH
Chapter 1C - Hydrology
Messana

Science 8

8.E.1 Understand the hydrosphere and the impact of

humans on local systems and the effects of the
hydrosphere on humans.
8.E.1.1 Explain the structure of the hydrosphere
including:
Water distribution on earth
Local river basins and water
availability

THIRST VIDEO

http://www.slideshare.net/jbrenman/thirst

THE HYDROSPHERE
Hydrosphere: the part of
Earth that contains
water

97% of Earths water

is salt water

Only 3% is fresh
water: (30%
groundwater, 68%
frozen, 2% on surface)

SALTWATER
Oceans cover 71% of Earths surface (about )
Land takes up 29% of Earths surface (about )
2 categories of water in the Hydrospherebased
on Salinity = % salt content
Saltwater:
97% of Earths water
Oceans
35 g salt/kg of water
How many oceans are currently recognized
today??!!

FRESHWATER
Freshwater:

<

1 g salt/kg of water
ONLY 3% of Earths water is fresh
2/3 of that is frozen in glaciers,
ice caps, & icebergs (pieces of
glaciers floating in ocean)
1/3 of that is liquid &
accessible in lakes, ponds,
rivers, streams, or underground

FRESHWATER RESOURCES

Most freshwater is
frozen at the polar
ice caps!!

Glaciers are masses of

ice and snow that
move slowly over the
Earths surface.

WHERES THE WATER?

The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater

System on earth. They contain 84% of
North Americas surface freshwater and
21% of the worlds surface fresh water
supply. Only the polar ice caps contain
more fresh water.

WATER CYCLE QUICK REVIEW

1. Sun heats the water on the surface of Earth
2. Freshwater evaporates into atmosphere as
water vapor (salt in ocean stays behind)
3. Water vapor cools & condenses on dust
particles to form clouds
4. Water falls back to Earth as precipitation in
the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail
5. Precipitation that hits surface either gets
absorbed into ground, stays trapped as
standing water, or moves downhill as run-off
back into lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, oceans
**The amount of water on Earth stays the same!!**

FRESHWATER RESOURCES
1/3

of Earths freshwater is
groundwater!!

Groundwater

forms when water

moves through soils and
sediment and collects in spaces
underground.
An aquifer is a rock layer that
stores water in the spaces
between the rock and allows
water to flow through it.

WATER DRAINAGE PATTERNS

Precipitation hits the surface of Earth

1.) If Permeable/Pervious Surface = water
will sink in Ex: Sand, Gravel, Dirt

2.) If Impermeable/Impervious Surface =

water will not sink in, may be trapped in basin
OR may run off from high low elevation
Ex: Red Clay, Cement, Asphalt

WATER DRAINAGE PATTERNS

Divide = high ridge of land from which water

will flow in different directions
Watershed/River Drainage Basin = drainage
area where all water from one side of a divide
flows, all water flows to one central river based
on the topography (curves/elevation) of the land

What River Basin do we live in??

Catawba River Wateree River Santee River
Atlantic Ocean!

EXAMINE A WATERSHED

POSSIBLE WATER FLOW EXAMPLE

Precipitation
Land
Flows Downhill
Stream
River
Larger River OR Lake
Estuary = mix of fresh & salt water in a bay

Ocean!!...all water ends up here

GROUNDWATER
Water that seeps into the soil & is pulled down
by gravity
Can move or sit under the surface if there are
spaces between the rock/soil particles
(permeable)
Water will seep down until it hits an
impermeable surface, then fill up from there
(like your bathtub with the drain closed!)
The region filled with ground water =
Saturation Zone
The top surface of this area = Water Table

WATER TABLE & SATURATION

ZONE

AQUIFERS
Underground permeable rock or sediment
that contains water
Particles in ground act like filter to water!!

OGALLALA AQUIFER UNDER U.S.

Huge source of
freshwater for
drinking &
irrigation in the U.S.
Depleting at alarming
rate

The

average annual
depletion rate between
2000 and 2007 was
more than twice that
during the previous
fifty years!

GROUNDWATER TO THE SURFACE

VIA
Man-made Well pipe dug into ground
to extract water from aquifer
2.) Artesian Well water flows naturally
to surface because its under pressure
3.) Spring water flows to surface
because surface of land dips below water
table
4.) Hot Spring/Geyser water heated up
by rocks, pushes up to surface due to
pressure
1.)

MAN-MADE WELL

ARTESIAN WELL & SPRING

GEYSER IN ICELAND YOUTUBE

CLIP

http://www.google.com/url?
q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWdaowLojM&sa=U&ei=n65CT8aeApDcgge2o63lCw&ve
d=0CCgQtwIwAg&usg=AFQjCNEpLlDlSzVPx4a
S-Tu3nfBc1pCkKw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tShhZvvIM84&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wJ3CKgZEitw&feature=player_embedded#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTqLQO3L4Ko