Earth's Waters

The total amount of water in the planet, also

known as Earth’s water budget, generally
remains constant through time. Water moves
and changes in form, but is neither created nor
destroyed. Most of the water on Earth today
have been cycling through the hydrologic
system for billions of years.
The largest reservoir is the ocean that contains
about 97.5% of Earth’s total water, which is mostly
saline water (containing salt).
This has a major implication in humans since
humans depend on freshwater for drinking,
agriculture, and industrial use. Freshwater,
which is only 2.5% of Earth’s total water, is
found in glaciers (68.7%), groundwater
(30.1%), permafrost (0.8%), surface water,
and atmospheric water. The surface water in
rivers, lakes, swamps, soil moisture, living
things, atmospheric water vapor, ground ice,
and permafrost, constitute only about 0.4% of
the total freshwater supply or less than 0.02%
of the total water on Earth.
Water as ice floats on water in liquid state. This
is because water expands when it freezes,
forming ice. The expansion of ice allows it to
occupy more volume per unit weight, making
its density less than that of water.
..\Why does ice float in water_ -
George Zaidan and Charles
Morton.mp4
Saltwater Reservoir a place where something is kept
An ocean is a vast body of saline water. There is
only one global ocean and it covers 71% of
Earth. Historically, the four recognized oceans
are the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. In 2000, the
International Hydrographic Organization
proposed the Southern Ocean. It is the body of
water surrounding Antarctica and is connected
to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
The total volume of water in the world’s
oceans is about 1340 million km3.
The saltiness of saltwater is called salinity.
The major chemical elements present in
seawater are sodium and chlorine ions. Other
natural elements are also present in seawater
in very low concentrations.
 Atlantic
Ocean

Pacific
Ocean

Southern Ocean
The ocean is one of the most valuable resources
on the planet. Aside from providing the
voluminous
great volume marine food sources, it is also used
in transportation and recreation. More
importantly, it plays a vital role in regulating the
climate through its interaction with the
atmosphere. It absorbs and circulates heat,
water, and carbon dioxide which are vital in the
many chemical cycles on Earth.
Freshwater Reservoirs
Most of the freshwater on Earth is stored in
glaciers situated in inaccessible areas such as
the Polar Regions and high mountains. The
readily available freshwater sources are the
surface water reservoir and groundwater
reservoir.
Glaciers and Ice Sheets
A glacier is a permanent body of ice, which
consists largely of recrystallized snow. In Polar
Regions and high-altitude regions, not all of the
snow that fall melts because of very cold
temperature even during summer.
The freshwater stored in glaciers and ice
sheets are estimated to exceed 24 million km3.
Almost 90% is concentrated in Antarctica
while the rest is found in Greenland and in
mountain glaciers. If the ice sheet in Greenland
were to melt, it would cause the global sea
level to rise by 6 meters. If the Antarctic ice
sheet melted, the sea level would be about 60
meters.
Glaciers and ice sheets influence global climate
and the hydrologic cycle. During glaciation,
large amount of water becomes locked up as
snow, resulting to a decrease in the volume of
runoff, a lower sea level, and an exposure of
more land in the coastal areas. When
deglaciation occurs, the reverse happens—river
flow increases, and the volume of the world
ocean increases, resulting to a rise in sea level
and reduced land area.
The world's Connections water resources should be
properly managed because based on UN reports, in
2015, 700 million people in 43 countries were affected
by scarcity of water. This is projected to increase to 1.8
billion by 2025 if the problem is not addressed. The
reasons behind water scarcity are both natural and
human made. There is enough freshwater on the
planet for seven billion people but it is distributed
unevenly, and there is too much that is wasted,
polluted, and unsustainably managed.
Permafrost
A soil, rock, or sediment that is frozen for more
than two consecutive years is called permafrost.
The frozen ground varies in thickness from a
few meters to about 150 meters. The upper 30
cm to 100 cm of soil thaws during summer and
refreezes during winter. Most of the permafrost
is found in Polar Regions, although they may
exist in high-altitude regions.
The total water stored as underground ice in a
permafrost is estimated to be 300000 km . It
3

comprises about 0.8% of the total freshwater

resource.
Surface Water Reservoirs
Surface waters include the streams, lakes, and
wetlands where water from rainfall, melting
snow and ice, and groundwater flows. They
represent 0.3% of Earth’s total water resource.
This resources harnessed for irrigation,
recreation, transport, fishing, drinking, and
hydropower.
Stream
A stream is a moving body of surface water that
flows downslope toward sea level because of
gravity. It has clearly-defined passageways called
channels where particles and dissolved
substances are transported. A river is a stream
with a considerable volume and a well-defined
channel.
Lakes
Lakes are large inland bodies of fresh or saline
water. Its upper surface is exposed to the
atmosphere and is essentially flat. It forms in
places where water collects in a low area
(depression) and behind natural or human
made dams. Ponds are small and shallow lakes.
Dams are barriers constructed along streams to
contain the flow of water.
Water in the lakes came from streams, overland
flow, and groundwater. Water exits from lakes
through outlet streams or by evaporation and
infiltration into the ground.
Geological processes form natural lakes. For
example, a landslide or lava flow could block a
stream and create a natural barrier. Water will
accumulate behind the barrier and will form a
lake. The collapse of volcanic craters also
creates depression that is eventually filled with
water, like the crater lake of Mount Pinatubo and
Taal Volcano.
Lakes store 67% of the total surface and
atmospheric water. This is a tiny percentage of
Earth’s total water but it is an extremely
important water resource. It provides
freshwater for irrigation, industrial, municipal,
residential, and recreational purposes.
Depending on their size, lakes could also be
used as transportation routes.
Wetlands
Land areas where water covers the surface for
significant periods is referred to as wetlands.
They vary in size—from relatively large in flat
areas to small in steep areas. Wetlands are
biologically diverse environments filled with
species that rely on both the land and water for
survival. It is also a fragile ecosystem that is
sensitive to the amount and quality of water.
Wetlands constitute about 8.5% of the
total land surface and atmospheric water. The
largest wetland in the Philippines is Ligawasan
Marsh found in the provinces of Maguindanao,
North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. It covers
an area of
2200 km2.
The types of wetlands include
marshes, swamps, and
estuaries.
a. Marsh is a shallow wetland
around lakes, streams, and
oceans where grasses and reeds
(tambo) are the dominant
vegetation. The wetland in
Candaba, Pampanga is an
example of a marsh ecosystem.
b. Estuary is a partly enclosed
coastal body of water where
freshwater from stream meets the
saltwater from the sea. It is home to
many organisms that can tolerate
the sharp changes in salinity due to
the constant change of salt content.
The mouth of large rivers such as
Pampanga River in Manila Bay is an
estuary.
c. Swamp is a wetland with lush
trees and vegetation found in
low-lying areas beside slow
moving rivers. Oxygen content in
the swamp water is typically low,
but swamp plants and animals
are adapted to these low-oxygen
conditions.
Floods
A flood is a natural event wherein an area that
is usually dry is submerged under water. It
usually occurs when the rate of precipitation is
higher than the rate in which it could be
absorbed by the ground or carried by streams. It
can also occur even during dry periods when
natural or human made reservoirs collapse.
Some floods may occur suddenly and torecede
move back or away

quickly, while others lasts for few days to

several weeks. It occurs at irregular intervals
and varies in size, duration, and extent of
affected area.
Eluvial or riverine flood occurs when a stream’s
discharge is greater than the capacity of the
channel, causing the stream to overflow.
Flashfloods are characterized by intense,RUSH
high-
velocity torrent of water that occurs in an
existing river channel with little to no notice.
Surface water flood occurs when heavy rainfall
creates a flood event independent of an
overflowing stream.
This is common in urban or rural areas when
the drainage systems are clogged.