EARTH’S WATER SUPPLYEARTH’S WATER SUPPLY

SOME QUICK FACTSSOME QUICK FACTS

• 70%70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with of the Earth’s surface is covered with waterwater

• 97%97% of Earth’s water is salt, 3% is fresh of Earth’s water is salt, 3% is fresh

• SalinitySalinity is the amount of salt that is is the amount of salt that is dissolved in waterdissolved in water

UNDERGROUND WATERUNDERGROUND WATER

• Scientist approximate that about 1/3 Scientist approximate that about 1/3 of the world’s fresh water lies of the world’s fresh water lies undergroundunderground

UNDERGROUND WATERUNDERGROUND WATER

• Water TableWater Table: The upper : The upper surface of the groundwater surface of the groundwater zonezone

• Groundwater ZoneGroundwater Zone: The : The area where water fills the area where water fills the space between the soil and space between the soil and cracks in rockscracks in rocks

• AquiferAquifer- An underground - An underground fresh water reservoirfresh water reservoir

GLACIERS AND ICE SHEETSGLACIERS AND ICE SHEETS

• A A glacierglacier is a huge mass of is a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a ice slowly flowing over a

land massland mass

• An An ice sheetice sheet is a particularly is a particularly large glacier that covers the large glacier that covers the land. They are also referred land. They are also referred to as to as polar ice capspolar ice caps..

THE WATER CYCLETHE WATER CYCLE

WATERSHEDSWATERSHEDS

• A watershed is an area of land where all the A watershed is an area of land where all the water eventually drains into one main body of water eventually drains into one main body of water, such as a stream, river, wetland, lake, or water, such as a stream, river, wetland, lake, or ocean.ocean.