The Water Budget The Water Budget Water Budget
The Water Budget
The Water Budget • Water Budget- total amount of water contained in and on the planet Earth
• There are four oceans and many seas • Largest to smallest oceans are • Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic • An example of a sea would be the Caribbean • All oceans and seas are connected and flow into each other
• About 1/3 of the fresh water on Earth is in a liquid state the rest is frozen in glaciers and ice near the poles • How many oceans are their on Earth? Of these which is the largest to smallest?
The Water Budget • Oceans make up 97% – Indian Ocean – 17% – Pacific Ocean – 50% – Atlantic Ocean – 30 % • Fresh Water 3% – Lake and Streams – 1 % – Frozen in Glaciers and Ice - 2 %
The Water Budget • Sea Level- the point at which the ocean touches the shoreline – dependant on the amount of water in the oceans • 12, 000 years ago sea level was lower by 100 meters
Sea-Level • How is it determined? Why doesn’t it rise when it rains? • What is the impact of hotter or cooler world temperatures? • Recent history indicates what type of trend in sea level?
• Sea level is determined by the amount of water in the oceans. This is determined by the degree of polar melting and locally by coastline topography
• Cooler world temperatures result in more of the worlds salt and fresh water supply becoming locked in ice, thus reducing sea level • Warmer world temperatures result in the change in state of water from a solid to a liquid thus increasing sea level
The Water Budget • 100 meter rise in sea level
• Sea level rise is a significant problem for most of the worlds population • Particularly along low lying coastal areas in which the majority of people live • By 2088 lower Manhattan will be under water if sea level rise continues
The Water Budget • 100 meter rise in sea level
• Recent history indicates dramatic increases in sea levels • As much as 450 feet over the past 15, 000 years • This coincides with the conclusion of the last ice age (also the formation of modern day long island)
• Currently sea levels are rising slightly each year • Multiple factors are responsible for this rise. • Mainly increases in global temperature due to the burning of fossil fuels
Alternate Theories • It is now widely accepted that global warming trends can precipitate ice ages and wide spread glaciation • This is the result of cooler denser water descending from the poles to more southern latitudes
• Cooler water at lower latitudes influences global climate patterns • Similar to El Nino periodic changes in ocean and wind currents change weather patterns on a large scale • Cooler temperatures result in more cloud cover which further decreases temperature
The Water Budget • Water Cycle- continuos recycling movement of water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land
The Water Budget • Precipitation- moisture that falls to the ground • Watershed- land area through which water passes on its way to the ocean
The Water Budget • Evaporation- the process by which liquid changes to gas • Condensation- the process by which water vapor in the air comes close together forming a cloud – If it becomes to saturated precipitation occurs
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