Chapter 9- Water Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 9- Water Deck (36)
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1
Q

Why is the Earth often called the Water Planet?

A

About 70% of the earth is covered by water

2
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

Cycle where water on Earth is continuously being recycled above, across, & through ecosystems

3
Q

What drives the water cycle?

A

The sun

4
Q

Where is most of the Earth’s water?

A

Oceans

5
Q

Evaporation

A

Process of liquid water changing into water vapor?

6
Q

Condensation

A

Process of water vapor changing into liquid water, water vapor joins other gases in the atmosphere and cools as it rises high into the air. When it cools enough, it condenses and forms clouds.

7
Q

Precipitation

A

Solid or liquid water falls from air to earth (rain, sleet, hail, snow). Drops of condensed water in clouds collide and get larger. When drops are too heavy to be held up by air currents, they fall to the Earth.

8
Q

Groundwater

A

Water in gaps and pores in rocks below Earth’s surface, can collect in underground lakes called aquifers

9
Q

What is fresh water?

A

Water with very low salt content

10
Q

How much of the water on Earth is fresh water?

A

3%

11
Q

How much is salt water?

A

97%

12
Q

Why is over 3/4 of Earth’s water impossible to use?

A

It’s frozen

13
Q

Where does almost all of the usable fresh water on Earth come from?

A

Groundwater

14
Q

Continental shelf

A

Gradually sloping part of the ocean floor made of continental crust

15
Q

Continental slope

A

Birder between continental crust and oceanic crust

16
Q

Abyssal plain

A

Vast, flat floor of the ocean that covers almost 1/2 of Earth’s surface

17
Q

Mid-ocean ridges

A

Mountain ranges on the ocean floor

18
Q

How do oceans affect climate?

A

Help keep land cool during summer and warm during winter. Differences in water and land temperature cause winds to form.

19
Q

Currents

A

Steady, stream-like movements of the ocean caused by wind, gravity, heat from the sun, and Earth’s rotation

20
Q

Surface currents

A

Easy to predict, produced by global winds that move in patterns

21
Q

How can currents cause warm climates to cool down?

A

Cool water currents form near poles and flow toward the equator

22
Q

What are the resources of the ocean?

A

Water, saltwater organisms, no food products like pearls, sea salt, petroleum, sand

23
Q

Water

A

Salt must be removed in desalination plants

24
Q

Saltwater organisms

A

Shrimp, lobster, seaweed, etc

25
Q

Sea salt

A

Used for cooking, agriculture, preserving, meat,refining metals, etc

26
Q

How are ocean zones determined?

A

By depth of the water

27
Q

What happens as ocean depth increases?

A

Less light

28
Q

Intertidal zone

A

Area of ocean between levels of high tide and low tide, shallowest and brightest zone where environment is always changing

29
Q

How do intertidal organisms handle environment changes?

A

Some bury themselves in sand, some hide under rock, others close shells tightly, trapping water inside.

30
Q

Near-shore zone

A

Includes most of the ocean over the continental shelf, relatively shallow and gets a lot of sunlight

31
Q

Open-ocean zone

A

Includes most water over the continental slope and abyssal plain; cold, deep, and dark; 90% of the ocean

32
Q

Coral reefs

A

Large delicate structures built by living coral in shallow, sunlit water in the near-shore zone

33
Q

How do coral reefs form?

A

Use minerals dissolved in ocean water to form hard skeletons. Living corals attach to skeletons of dead coral to slowly form a reef

34
Q

What do reefs provide?

A

Underwater surfaces easily reached by sunlight and shelter for many kinds of animals

35
Q

Deep ocean vents

A

Recently discovered ecosystem deep in ocean that gets energy from chemical reactions instead of the sun

36
Q

What chemicals make the energy in deep ocean vents.

A

Volcanic vents spew hot water containing sulfur and iron chemicals. Bacteria uses these to store energy and are depended on by rest of ecosystem for energy