1. Distribution of Water Chapter 11, Sect.1-3

2. Essential Question:
How is water distributed throughout the earth, and how does the water cycle redistribute the water?

3. Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface!
In what percentage is water distributed in oceans, lakes, rivers, underground water, and ice?

4. Distribution of Earth’s Water
97 Percent is salt water that is found in the oceans. Only 3 percent is fresh water.
Fresh water
Salt water

5. Of the 3% that is fresh water, how much is available for human use?
76% is ice
12% is shallow groundwater
11% is deep groundwater
0.34% is in lakes and rivers
0.037% is water vapor

6. Water Cycle Vocabulary
Evaporation
(p. 379)
Condensation
Transpiration*
Precipitation
Infiltration
(p. 289 in italics)
Percolation (p. 309)
Runoff
(p. 482)

7. Stages of the Water Cycle:
Evaporation
Condensation
Transpiration
Precipitation

9. Evaporation
The process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor.

10. Evaporation

11. Condensation
The process by which a gas, such as water vapor, changes to a liquid, such as water.

12. Condensation

13. Transpiration
The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves.

15. Precipitation
Forms of water (rain, snow, sleet, or hail) that fall from clouds and reach Earth’s surface.

16. Precipitation

17. Runoff
Water that flows over the ground’s surface rather than soaking into the ground

18. Runoff

19. Groundwater
Water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers.

20. Groundwater

21. Permeable
A characteristic of materials, such as salt and gravel, that allow water to pass easily through them

22. Permeable

23. Impermeable
A characteristic of materials through which water does not easily pass, such as clay and granite

24. Impermeable

25. Aquifier
An underground layer of rock or soil that holds water

27. Saturated Zone
A layer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks and pores are completely filled with water

28. Water Table
The top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifer

29. Unsaturated Zone
A layer rock or soil above the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water

30. Unsaturated Zone
Saturated Zone

31. Wastewater
Sewage that is treated to make it safe to return to the environment.

33. Conservation
The process of using a resource wisely so it will not be used up.

35. Desalination
The process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt.