Main stores of water Part 1

Question 1

What is the largest store of water?

Answer 1

. 97% of water in the hydrosphere (all water) is stored in oceans. It’s called oceanic water

. The remaining 3% is fresh water

Question 2

What is fresh water made out of?

Answer 2

. Cryospheric water

. Terrestrial water

. Atmospheric water

Question 3

Explain oceanic water

Answer 3

. Water contained in Earth’s ocean and sea but doesn’t include inland seas

. Salty due to dissolved salts

. Salt allows ocean to stay as liquid water below 0ºC.

. Alkaline but PH has fallen to 8.14, due to increase in carbon dioxide

Question 4

Define inland sea

Answer 4

.Inland seas are landlocked seas that are only connected to the ocean through narrow channels

. For example, Caspian sea

Question 5

Define cryospheric water (part of fresh water)

Answer 5

Water locked up on the Earth’s surface as ice

Question 6

Name the five locations of cryospheric water

cryospheric water part of fresh water

Answer 6

. Sea ice

. Permafrost

. Alpine glaciers

. Ice sheets

. Ice caps

Question 7

Explain sea ice (part of Cryospheric water)

Answer 7

. Sea ice is frozen ocean water. It doesn’t raise sea level when it melts as it forms from ocean water. It is free-floating unlike ice shelves.

1. ) Ice shelves are platforms of ice that form where ice sheets and glaciers move out into the ocean. They are floating extensions of land ice. They are firmly attached to the land
2. ) Ice bergs are chunks of ice that break off glaciers and ice shelves and drift in the ocean. They only raise sea levels when they first leave land and push into the water, but not when they melt in the water.

Question 8

Explain ice sheets (part of Cryospheric water)

Answer 8

. Mass of glacial land ice covering more than 50,000km²

. Forms in area where snow falls in winter does not entirely melt over summer. Over time, layers of snow pile up into thick masses of ice getting thick and denser as weight of new snow and ice layers compress old ice layers

. Constantly in motion; it flows downhill

. Ice sheets contain huge quantities of frozen water. Sea levels rise if ice sheet melted

Question 9

Explain ice caps (part of Cryospheric water)

Answer 9

. Thick layers of ice that are smaller 50,000km²

. Found in mountainous areas

. Dome - shaped

. Centred over highest point in upland area

. Flow outwards almost covering everything in its path

Question 10

Explain Alpine glaciers (part of Cryospheric water)

Answer 10

. Thick masses of ice found in deep valleys or upland hollows

(talk about where located for all)

Question 11

Explain permafrost (part of Cryospheric water)

Answer 11

. It’s ground that remains at below 0°C for at least two years. It the layer of frozen soil under Earth’s surface

. In high latitudes, permafrost remains frozen all year round. In some other areas, permafrost melts in summer

. Permafrost has begun to melt as climate warms. Melting releases carbon dioxide and methane

Question 12

Name four parts of terrestrial water (part of fresh water)

Answer 12

. Surface water

. Ground water

. Soil water

. Biological water

Question 13

Explain surface water (part of terrestrial water)

Answer 13

. Water located on Earth’s surface

. Includes rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, etc.

. River → stream of water flowing in a channel to a sea, lake or another river. They are both a store and transfer of water

. Lake → Collections of fresh water found in hollows on land surface. Generally larger than two hectares in area. Anything smaller is a pond

. Wetland → A wetland is an area of land that is covered or saturated with water at or near the surface either year round or for varying parts of the year. Eg. peatland, marsh, swamp, etc.

Question 14

Explain Groundwater (part of terrestrial water)

Answer 14

. Water that collects underground in the pores spaces of rock. It fills spaces between soil particles and rock underground

Question 15

Define water table

Answer 15

. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock become completely saturated with water

. Level of water underground in simpler terms

Question 16

Explain soil water (part of terrestrial water)

Answer 16

. Amount of water that can be stored in soil

Question 17

Explain Biological water (part of terrestrial water)

Answer 17

. All water stored in plant and animal matter

. It is the water in biomass

Question 18

What is terrestrial water associated with?

Answer 18

. The Lithosphere

. This is as the terrestrial water is the summation of all water on the land and sub - surface. The Lithosphere is the crust and upper mantle.

. Therefore, they are associated with each other

Question 19

Explain Atmospheric water (part of fresh water)

Answer 19

. Atmosphere has water in three ways : gas, clouds and precipitation

. Most of it in a gas state: water vapour, which is colourless and odourless

. Atmospheric water vapour is important as it absorbs and reflects incoming radiation meaning it’s important.

. Amount of water vapour that air can hold depends on temperature

. Cold air can’t hold as much water vapour as warm hair, hence why the air is poles are dry and airs over tropics are humid

. Increase in water vapour would lead to an increase in atmospheric temperatures, which would lead to a positive feedback loop