Earth’s Water Lesson 1

The Hydrosphere and the Water Cycle

Think About It… Why is it that the water in your bottle could have been drunk by George Washington?

Focus Questions… What are the processes involved in the water cycle? What is the connection between ground and surface water?

The Hydrosphere: An Overview… 1. The hydrosphere is… the water on and in Earth’s crust a. The percentage of water found in the oceans… 97 We don’t call ourselves the Blue Planet for nothing! The percentage of water contained by the landmasses… 3

Of the Freshwater on Earth… b. 90% is in the form of… polar ice caps and glaciers Most of the remaining water is… groundwater Only a small fraction is in… rivers, streams, and lakes Snow pack on Mt. Shucksan, Washington

The World’s Water Supply… Oceans – 97.2% - thousands of years Ice caps and glaciers – 2.15% - tens of thousands of years Groundwater -.31% - hundreds to thousands of years Lakes -.009% - tens of years Atmosphere -.001% - nine days! Rivers and streams % - two weeks

The Water Cycle… Infiltration =o3BVa7PH_JE

Runoff… 1.Runoff is… water flowing down slope along Earth’s surface

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… a. Little to No Vegetation… B/C topsoil is easily eroded so that water runs off easier

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… b. Heavy rain… B/C rain falls too quickly to soak into the ground

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… c. Soil with a lot of clay … B/C clay has small air spaces that prevents water from soaking in

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… d. Steep Slope… B/C gravity causes the water to flow off faster

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… e. High ground- water levels… B/C there is no space left for the water to soak in underground.

Watersheds and Stream Systems… 1. A stream is runoff water that begins to flow more permanently in a channel. a.A large stream is called a river. b.The smaller streams that feed into it are called tributaries Zip-lining across a stream in Loon Mtn., New Hampshire

The Rivers of North Carolina…

Watersheds and Divides… 2. A watershed is all of the land area whose water drains into a stream system.

Watersheds and Divides… 3. A divide is a high land area that separates one watershed from another. The Eastern Continental Divide is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Highway 421N, Jefferson, NC

Western Continental Divide: Milner Pass

Western Continental Divide: Loveland Pass, Co.

Divides of North America…

Watersheds and Divides… 4. The watershed of the Mississippi River is the largest watershed in North America!