Hydrosphere

1. Hydrosphere

2. Hydrosphere • The hydrosphere includes all water on Earth. • The abundance of water on Earth is a unique feature that clearly distinguishes our "Blue Planet" from others in the solar system. Not a drop of liquid water can be found anywhere else in the solar system. • It is because the Earth has just the right mass, the right chemical composition, the right atmosphere, and is the right distance from the Sun (the "Goldilocks" principle) that permits water to exist mainly as a liquid.

3. Hydrosphere • The range of surface temperatures and pressures of our planet permit water to exist in all three states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (water vapour). • Most of the water is contained in the oceans and the high heat capacity of this large volume of water (1.35 million cubic kilometers) buffers the Earth surface from large temperature changes • Water is the universal solvent and the basis of all life on our Planet. It is an essential life-sustaining resource which led Benjamin Franklin to comment "When the well's dry, we know the worth of water."

4. Continental waters • Continental waters represent only 0.65% of the total amount of water stored on Earth • However, continental waters have crucial impact on terrestrial life and human needs, and play a major role in climate variability

5. Continental waters • Fresh continental waters are stored in various reservoirs: the snow pack, underground reservoirs, the root zone (first few meters of the soil) and vegetation, and as surface waters (rivers, lakes, man-made reservoirs, wetlands and inundated areas). • Continental water provide resources for human consumption and activities (agriculture, urbanisation, hydroelectric energy resources), as well as for climate prediction.

6. Watershed • A watershed is a geographic area in which all water running off the land drains to a specific creek, river or stream

7. Watershed vs. Basin • A basin is a large-scale watershed, such as the St. Lawrence River basin

8. Cryosphere • The cryosphere, derived from the Greek word kryo for "cold" or "too cold", is the term which collectively describes the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost).

9. Cryosphere • The cryosphere is an integral part of the global climate system with important linkages and feedbacks generated through its influence on surface energy and moisture fluxes, clouds, precipitation, hydrology, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation. • Through these feedback processes, the cryosphere plays a significant role in global climate

10. Hydro power • Hydro power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. • Prior to the widespread availability of commercial electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation, and operation of various machines, such as watermills, textile machines, sawmills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts.

11. Hydroelectricity • Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy. • Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a considerably different output level of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than fossil fuel powered energy plants

12. Hydroelectricity • Hydro power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. • Prior to the widespread availability of commercial electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation, and operation of various machines, such as watermills, textile machines, sawmills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts.

13. Notes • The hydrosphere includes all water on Earth • Most of the water is contained in the oceans and the high heat capacity of this large volume of water (1.35 million cubic kilometers) buffers the Earth surface from large temperature changes • Continental waters represent only 0.65% of the total amount of water stored on Earth

14. Notes • Fresh continental waters are stored in various reservoirs: the snow pack, underground reservoirs, the root zone (first few meters of the soil) and vegetation, and as surface waters (rivers, lakes, man-made reservoirs, wetlands and inundated areas). • Continental water provide resources for human consumption and activities (agriculture, urbanisation, hydroelectric energy resources), as well as for climate prediction.

15. Notes • A watershed is a geographic area in which all water running off the land drains to a specific creek, river or stream • A basin is a large-scale watershed • The cryosphere is the term which collectively describes the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost

16. Notes • The cryosphere plays a significant role in global climate • Hydro power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. • Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

17. Questions • How is the hydrosphere connected to the other “spheres” we’ve seen in class? (Think in terms of climate change) • Continental waters provide a significant amount of our fresh water. What are some things we can do to preserve the quality of continental waters? • Is fresh water a renewable resource? Explain your answer • What are some advantages of using hydroelectricity? What are some disadvantages? (think in terms of the environment)