Distribution of Earth’s Water

The OceansWater covers about 75% of the Earth’s surface

97% is salt water3% is fresh water

only 1% of fresh water can be used

There are 4 major bodies of water:Atlantic OceanPacific OceanIndian OceanArctic Ocean

Ice- 76% of fresh water

- Most of Earth’s fresh water is locked in thick sheets of ice near the North and South Poles. - Icebergs – huge chunks of floating ice made of fresh water.

Rivers and Lakes– .34% of fresh water– Very little fresh water but important

to people who live near them.

Groundwater- 23% of fresh water (shallow and deep combined)- Water fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

Surface WaterRiver Systemsa. Tributary – streams and smaller rivers that feed into a main

riverb. Watershed – land area that supplies water to a river system.c. Divide – separates one watershed from another by a ridge

of land

Ponda. Body of fresh, standing waterb. Smaller than lakes – sunlight reaches the bottomc. Formed when water collects in hollows or low-lying areas of landd. Home too many animals including frogs, crayfish, sunfish, water lilies, algae, etc.

Lakes- Body of fresh water that no sunlight reaches the bottom- Deep and big- Formed two ways

Same as a pondPowerful forces that shape Earth’s surface such as ice depressions, crust movement or volcanoes

Wetlands – a land area that is covered with water during part or all of the year.– 3 types

• Marshes – grass covered by shallow water• Swamps – flooded forests with trees – usually in warm,

humid climates• Bogs – depression from ice sheets – usually in cold climates

Water UndergroundMovement– Permeable – water runs through the ground

• Gravel

– Impermeable – water cannot pass through easily• Clay• Granite

ZonesSaturated – soil is totally

filled with waterUnsaturated – soil can

still accept water

Ground water– Springs – ground water bubbles or flows out of

cracks in rock to Earth’s surface– Aquifer – underground rock or sediment that

holds water– Well – channel dug into an aquifer to provide a

supply of water– Geyser – hot spring from which water periodically

erupts out

Using Freshwater Resources

How People Use Fresh Water– Household purposes– Industry– Transportation– Agriculture• Irrigation – supplying water to areas of land to make

them suitable for growing crops

– Recreation

Conserving WaterReduceRecycleReuse

Pollution – addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water