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Spheres of The Earth: Hydrosphere

The document summarizes the hydrosphere, which describes the waters of Earth. It states that 71% of the planet is covered in water, which exists in liquid, solid, and gas forms. The hydrosphere consists of oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, ice, and water vapor. It then describes the hydrologic cycle by which water is transferred between oceans, atmosphere, and land through processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Human activities like withdrawing water and clearing vegetation can negatively impact this cycle.

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Farehin
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46 views

Spheres of The Earth: Hydrosphere

The document summarizes the hydrosphere, which describes the waters of Earth. It states that 71% of the planet is covered in water, which exists in liquid, solid, and gas forms. The hydrosphere consists of oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, ice, and water vapor. It then describes the hydrologic cycle by which water is transferred between oceans, atmosphere, and land through processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Human activities like withdrawing water and clearing vegetation can negatively impact this cycle.

Uploaded by

Farehin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SPHERES OF THE EARTH

Hydrosphere
HYDROSPHERE

 The hydrosphere describes the waters of the earth.


 About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.
Water of the hydrosphere exists in three states: liquid, solid and
gaseous (water vapor).
 Water occurs in two general chemical conditions, fresh and salty.
 It also occurs as standing water (in oceans and lakes) and running
water (in rivers and streams).
 It consist of water in the oceans; lakes, streams, rivers,
swamps on the surface of the land & under the ground
(ground water).
 It also consists of water frozen as ice and snow-icebergs,
glaciers, polar ice, on mountains and in the frozen layers of soil
and as water vapor in the atmosphere.
THE STRUCTURE OF HYDROSPHERE

 Oceans and seas - 96.5 % of water


 Fresh water – 3.5 % of water

Fresh water distribution:

 Ice: 1.762%
 Groundwater: 1.7%
 Surface Fresh Water: 0.014%
 Atmosphere and Soil: 0.002%
Largest water body:

Oceans - the largest bodies of water on Earth (contains salt


water only)

Solid forms of water (forms of ice):

Icebergs: a large piece of freshwater ice floating in open


waters.
Glaciers: any large mass of ice that moves slowly over land.
Permafrost: ground that is permanently frozen.
THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

Significance of the hydrologic cycle

Water moves from one store to another by various


processes and

 these movements take place between the atmosphere,


lithosphere and biosphere and

 in this way the water cycle integrates most of the other


important environmental systems.

 Earth is not the only planet to contain water but conditions


on Earth are particularly suitable for the continuous cycling
of water, which in turn drives many other important systems.
 The hydrologic cycle involves the continuous recycling of
water between the atmosphere, land and oceans.

 It is the transfer of water from the oceans to the


atmosphere, from the atmosphere to the land and back to the
oceans. The processes involve evaporation of water from the
oceans; precipitation on land; evaporation from land ; runoff
from streams, river and subsurface groundwater.

The hydrological cycle is driven by solar energy, which


evaporates water from oceans, fresh water bodies, soils and
vegetation.
The Hydrologic Cycle
Different processes of the hydrologic cycle

Evaporation
It takes place due to heat. Water from oceans, seas and water
surfaces on land, such as rivers, lakes etc. is changed from water
droplets to water vapor in the atmosphere, which is known as
evaporation.

Transpiration
Water lost from vegetation - trees and plants, mainly from their
leaves is known as transpiration.

Evapo-transpiration
Evapo-transpiration (ET) is a term used to describe the sum of
evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to
atmosphere.
Condensation
Air temperature decreases with height. As water vapor is carried
upwards by air it is cooled, leading to condensation. This is the
process by which water vapor (gas) is turned to liquid or solid.

Precipitation
~ is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor
that falls under gravity. Rain is the most common type but snow
and hail are included as well.

Interception
When precipitation occurs, some are prevented from falling
directly on the ground by trees and plants which is known as
interception.
Run-off
Water flows over the ground surface, finding its way into rivers and
streams, known as run-off.

Infiltration
Water that seeps into the ground. It depends on soil
characteristics, land cover type, slope of the ground.

Groundwater flow
Storage of water at underground. After precipitation a certain
portion of it seeps into the ground.

In general, the term groundwater or subsurface water refers to


the water that occurs below the surface of the earth. The main
source of groundwater is infiltration.
HOW PEOPLE ARE AFFECTING THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE?

 Withdrawing large amount of water from stream, lakes and


underground sources.

Effects:
Groundwater depletion: land subsidence
Salt water intrusion:
- Water become unusable for domestic purpose
- Corrosion of industrial process
- Crop damage
- Ecosystem loss
Desertification
 Clearing vegetation and urbanization.

Effect:
Increases in runoff: flooding, urban drainage congestion
Decreases in groundwater level
Soil erosion
Sedimentation in river: flooding

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