Chapter 3 (Water 1)

• What are the physical states of water

  • solid : Glaciers, snow and hail. process of freezing
  • Liquid : Oceans, rivers. processes of melting and condensation
  • gas : air. process of evaporation
• Water

  • Water makes up 71% of Earth's surface while the remaining 29 % consists of land from continents and islands
  • Water is usually found in water stores on Earth
  • Water stores contain either fresh water or salt water/seawater
  • Only fresh water can be used directly for most daily consumption, such as drinking, as salt water contains too much salt to be used directly
• What is the most abundant freshwater store found on Earth?

  Glaciers and icecaps
• Where are glaciers typically found?

  In higher latitudes far from the equator, such as Greenland, Antarctica, or the Himalayas
• What are glaciers?

  Large masses of ice sheets that rest on land or float in the sea
• Why are glaciers and ice caps not easily accessible for daily use?

  Because they are usually in solid state
• What happens when glaciers and ice caps melt?

  They flow into other stores such as rivers and lakes, providing fresh water for consumption
• What percentage of fresh water is in liquid state and easily accessible by humans?

  About 30%
• What are the most common forms of accessible fresh water?

  Groundwater, rivers, and lakes
• What are the characteristics of glaciers and ice caps?

  • Large masses of ice sheets
  • Found on land or floating in the sea
  • Usually in solid state
  • Located in higher latitudes far from the equator
• Oceans

  • Large masses of water connected to one another
  • The oceans on earth include Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern ocean.
  • Due to the high levels of dissolved salt, water from the ocean is usually unsuitable for consumption
• Lakes

  • Lakes are water bodies surrounded by land

  Rivers

  • Rivers are longer bodies of water that flow across the land
  • Rivers start from the river source found at higher elevation, and flow to places of lower elevation as gravity pulls them down
  • The river mouth is located near the end of the river, where the river flows into another body of water, usually the sea or ocean.
• Groundwater

  • Groundwater is found below the surface of Earth.
  • Rainwater passes through the soil through small openings called pores and is stored in the soil as soil moisture
  • Structures such as wells are used in many locations to collect groundwater for daily consumption.
  • Wells are created by digging deep into the ground until the groundwater levels are reached. Buckets will then be dropped down to collect the water and then carried back up