! ! Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

Water, Water, Everywhere!

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!
A"Basic"Diagram"of"the"Water"Cycle"

Water!is!literally!everywhere.!It!is!in!our!bodies,!and!in!the!bodies!of!all!plants,!animals!and!
insects! (“flora! and! fauna”);! a! large! part! of! water! is! in! the! oceans;! some! of! it! is! under! the!
ground,!and!this!comes!out!in!volcanic!eruptions,!geysers!and!hot!springs.!There!is!fresh!water!
in!the!rivers,!lakes!and!streams,!and!through!the!processes!of!evaporation!and!condensation,!
water!gets!into!the!atmosphere,!forms!clouds,!and!returns!to!the!earth!as!rain,!snow,!dew!or!
hail.!Thus,!water!constantly!cycles!on,!below!and!above!the!earth’s!surface.!!

Water!is!crucial!in!supporting!life.!When!we!study!other!planets!or!their!moons,!we!look!for!
traces! of! water! to! see! if! the! place! could! have! supported! life.! It! is! so! important! that! many!
people!fear!if!it!continues!to!become!scarcer,!wars!may!be!fought!over!water!in!the!future!!

The!study!of!the!movement!and!distribution!of!water!on!earth!is!called!“hydrology.”!

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 ! ! Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

Water"in"the"Oceans"

Take!a!look!at!the!globe.!You!would!see!that!the!color!blue!covers!most!of!it.!Over!70%!of!the!
total!surface!of!our!planet!is!covered!with!water.!96.5%!of!it!is!found!in!the!oceans.!Although!
there!are!no!clear!boundaries!separating!one!ocean!from!the!other,!we!have!given!five!names!
to!the!earth’s!oceans.!The!Pacific!Ocean!is!the!largest!in!terms!of!surface!area,!followed!by!the!
Atlantic,! Indian,! Antarctic! and! Arctic! Oceans.! These! oceans,! although! connected,! serve! to!
separate! the! seven! major! continents.! The! Pacific! Ocean! separates! Asia,! Australia! and! its!
surrounding! islands! from! the! North! and! South! Americas;! while! the! Atlantic! Ocean! (in! which!
the!Titanic!sank!on!its!first!voyage!between!England!and!America)!separates!the!two!American!
continents! from! Europe! and! Asia.! If! you! have! heard! about! the! Titanic,! or! seen! the! popular!
1997!film,!you!would!know!that!oceans!also!have!large!bodies!of!floating!ice!called!icebergs.!!

The!title!of!this!passage,!“Water,!Water!Everywhere”,!comes!from!Samuel!Taylor!Coleridge’s!
poem:!!

Water,!water,!everywhere,!
! And!all!the!boards!did!shrink.!
Water,!water!everywhere,!
Nor!any!drop!to!drink.!
"

It! tells! the! story! of! a! ship! stuck! near! Antarctica.! Despite! being! surrounded! by! water! on! all!
sides,!the!sailors!were!dying!of!thirst.!This!is!because!the!ocean’s!water!(or!seawater)!is!saline!
and!unfit!for!drinking!by!humans.!On!an!average,!this!water!contains!3.5!percent!salt.!Drinking!
this! would! result! in! more! water! getting! excreted! from! the! body! to! drain! out! all! the! salt.!
However,!this!water!supports!other!life!forms!such!as!whales,!sea!turtles!and!some!types!of!
fish.!

Fresh"Water""

Where!do!humans!get!their!drinking!water!from!if!96!percent!of!Earth’s!water!is!unfit!for!this!
purpose?!We!get!it!from!one!of!the!many!freshwater!sources!that!have!a!lower!concentration!

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 ! ! Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

of! salt! and! other! dissolved! solids! than! seawater.! This! water! is! also! called! “sweet! water.”! It!
exists! in! many! forms! on! and! under! the! earth’s! surface:! it! could! be! frozen! as! in! glaciers,!
icebergs,! ice! sheets! and! ice! caps;! running! through! our! streams,! rivers! and! waterfalls;! still! in!
lakes,!ponds,!mires!and!swamps;!or!under!the!ground!in!aquifers!or!rocks.!

Freshwater! comes! to! the! earth’s! surface! through! precipitation.! For! this! reason,! what! comes!
down!often!contains!traces!of!what!is!found!on!the!ground!or!in!the!atmosphere!in!that!area.!
Despite! containing! sulfur! and! nitrogen! oxides! and! other! pollutants! in! industrial! areas,! rain!
water!is!still!considered!the!purest!form!of!water.!!

Most! of! the! earth’s! fresh! water! is! frozen! in! glaciers! and! other! bodies! of! ice! and! snow.! The!
melting! of! glaciers! is! an! urgent! environmental! concern! because! it! would! increase! water! in!
rivers,!resulting!in!flooding!of!large!areas.!Groundwater,!which!is!most!readily!available!to!us!
for!drinking,!washing!and!agriculture,!is!less!than!one_hundredth!of!Earth’s!total!water.!Lakes!
are! another! important! source! of! surface! fresh! water.! Remember! the! mnemonic! HOMES! for!
Huron,! Ontario,! Michigan,! Erie! and! Superior! for! the! North! American! Great! Lakes?! These!
account!for!a!fifth!of!Earth’s!fresh!water.!The!shortage!of!fresh!surface!water!is!an!important!
reason!for!poverty!in!many!African!countries.!

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 ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

Name: Date:

1. What is hydrology?

A the study of weather patterns

B the study of oceans
C the study of the movement and distribution of water
D the study of the movement of air

2. What does the author describe in the passage?

A the evolution of aquatic species

B the movement and distribution of water on Earth
C the history of sea-based exploration
D life on Earth during the Ice Age

3. Read the following sentences.

When we study other planets or their moons, we look for traces of water to see if the
place could have supported life. It is so important that many people fear if it continues
to become scarcer, wars may be fought over water in the future!

Based on the above evidence, what conclusion can be made?

A Water constantly cycles on, below and above the earth’s surface.
B Water is crucial in supporting life.
C Over 70% of the total surface of our planet is covered with water.
D About 96.5% of the world’s water is found in the oceans.

4. What is the water cycle?

A the movement of water in rivers and oceans

B the movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth
C the movement of water from the earth and into the atmosphere
D the movement of water from the atmosphere and into the earth

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A the ongoing conflict over water in developing countries

B the shortage of clean water in the Great Lakes area
C the problems pollution now poses for our freshwater systems
D the different forms of water on Earth
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 ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

6. Read the following lines from Samuel Coleridge’s poem.

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink.
Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.

The author uses this poem in the passage to illustrate what concept?

A The salt water in our oceans has the power to shrink boats.
B The United States has more drinkable water than other countries.
C The ocean’s water is unfit for drinking by humans.
D The glaciers of our planet are melting and flooding our rivers.

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Ninety-six percent of Earth’s water is too salty for humans to consume. _________, we
must get it from one of the many freshwater sources that have a lower concentration of
salt and other dissolved solids than seawater.

A Finally
B Consequently
C However
D On the other hand

8. Where can we find “sweet water”?

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 ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions:!Water,!Water,!Everywhere!!

9. Why is the melting of glaciers an urgent environmental concern?

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10. The author writes that water is “so important that many people fear if it continues to
become scarcer, wars may be fought over water in the future!”

Explain why there might by a shortage of water in the future. Use evidence from the
text to support your conclusion.

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