Structure of the Hydrosphere

1. STRUCTURE
OF THE
HYDROSPHERE

2. WHERE IS WATER LOCATED?
 75% of Earth is covered in Water
 25% of Earth is land

3. BREAKDOWN OF WATER
 Oceans: 97% of water is found here
 Fresh Water: 3% of water is found here
 Fresh Water Distribution
 Ice Caps: 69%
 Groundwater: 30%
 Surface Fresh Water: 1%
 Atmosphere and soil: < 1%

4. WATER DISTRIBUTION
SALT
WATER
97%
FRESH
WATER
3%

5. FRESHWATER
Icebergs,
Glaciers,
Snow,
Permafrost
69%
Groundwater
30%
Lakes,
Rivers,
atmospher
e
1%
Fresh Water

6. UNDERSTANDING
WHERE YOUR WATER IS
LOCATED

7. OCEANS AND ICE
 What bodies of water hold the largest amount of
water?
 Oceans—the largest bodies of water on Earth (contain
salt water only)
 What features house water as Ice?
 ICEBERGS: A large piece of fresh water ice floating in
open waters
 GLACIERS: Any large mass of ice that moves slowly over
land
 Permanent snow areas also contain
water as ice

8. FRESH WATER
LOCATIONS

9. SURFACE WATER
 What is the difference between a watershed and a
river basin?
 Both terms describe land that drains into a river, stream
or lake
 RIVER BASIN: the term used to describe an area that
drains into a large river
 WATERSHED: term used to describe an area that drains
into a smaller river or stream

10. RIVER BASINS AND WATERSHEDS
 Large river basins are made up of many
interconnected watersheds
 Example: Cape Fear and Neuse River Basins are made of
many small watersheds
 The water in a watershed runs to the lowest point—a
river, stream, lake, or ocean

11. RIVERS, STREAMS, AND LAKES
 What is a River?
 A large channel along which water is continually flowing
down a slope—made of many streams that come together
 What is a Stream?
 Small channel along which water is continually flowing
down a slope—made of gullies
 What is a Lake?
 A body of water of considerable size contained on a body
of land

12. GROUNDWATER
 What is Groundwater?
 The water found in cracks and pores in sand, gravel and
rocks below the earth’s surface
 What is an aquifer?
 A permeable rock layer underground

13. OTHER SURFACE WATERS
 What is a Wetland?
 An area where the Water Table is at, near or above the
land surface long enough during the year to support
adapted plant growth
 What are the types of wetlands?
 Swamps, bogs, marshes

14.  SWAMP: a wetland dominated by trees
 BOGS: wetland dominated by peat moss
 MARSHES: a wetland dominated by grasses