The Hydrosphere

• All the different forms of water on Earth.

• Covers 70% of the Earth’s surface.• 97.5 % is salt water (oceans)• 2.5% is fresh water (glaciers, lakes, rivers, aquifers, atmosphere)

• Evaporation of liquid water into a vapour.• Transpiration in plants.

• Vapour rises and cools.• Condenses and changes back into liquid to form clouds.

• When water droplets become too large they fall as precipitation (rain, snow, hail, etc).• Frozen precipitation stored as snow or glaciers.• Rain/melting show runs back into lakes/oceans.

• Three Effects on the Earth’s climate:1. Moderates Earth’s temperature.2. Distributes heat.3. Acts as a carbon sink.

Stores Thermal Energy • Oceans act as a heat sink…

• How???• Water has a high heat capacity.

• Absorbs large amounts of thermal energy without becoming very hot.

• Able to transfer energy by convection.

Sea Breeze Land Breeze

Watch This!!

Great Ocean Conveyor Belt (Thermohaline Circulation)*Driven by temperature and salinity differences.*

• Warm equatorial surface water moves toward poles:• It cools down.• It becomes saltier due to evaporation and formation of ice.

• Colder, saltier water sinks to create a deep ocean current.• Causes continuous movement of the warm equatorial water.

Watch This!!! And This!!! And This!!!

• Cold ocean currents cause air to be dry and cool. • E.g., desert.

• Warm ocean currents cause air to be moist and warm.• E.g., rainforest.

• Oceans absorb and store carbon dioxide in the form of carbonate (e.g., sea shells).