The Hydrosphere

1
The Hydrosphere

• Water on the Planet

2
The Distribution of Water

• Water is the major life force in this planet.
• Not only does it support life with its unique
  properties, but it is also the main reason why
  our planet is able to absorb and retain heat form
  the sun.

3
The Distribution of Water

• 70 of our planets surface is covered by water
  in the form of oceans
• The remaining 30 is in the form of land and ice
  caps

4
The Distribution of Water
5
The Distribution of Water

• Note that even though the oceans store the most
  amount of water, it takes over 3000 years for
  this water to recycle itself completely.
• In contrast, that atmosphere is the most active
  recycling the water in it every 9 12 days.
• Interestingly enough, if one totaled up all the
  water the atmosphere recycles in 3100 years, one
  would get the volume of the water stored in the
  oceans.

6
The Distribution of Water

• Fresh water makes up less than 3 of the worlds
  water store. Ice caps followed by ground water
  are the planets largest stores of fresh water.

7
Water Budget