(WOE) Water on Earth Module Overview

Water on Earth Module Overview

The number three is a power number when thinking about water. Why? A water molecule has three atoms: two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. That's why water is sometimes referred to as H2O. Water can be found in three states of matter; as a solid, liquid, or gas. Water is constantly on the move as part of the water cycle, which includes three major phases; evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.  Water covers the majority of the surface of Earth, yet the water we can drink is only a small percentage of that water. Understanding where water can be found, the water cycle, water's impact on the Earth and how to conserve and protect our drinking water is the focus of this module.

Essential Questions 

  1. How much water is on Earth?
  2. What is the water cycle?
  3. How do I describe the topography of the ocean's subsurface?
  4. What causes waves, currents and tides?

Key Terms

  1. Water vapor - The invisible, gaseous form of water.
  2. Groundwater - Water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers.
  3. Water cycle - The continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back, passing through the living and nonliving parts of the environment.
  4. Evaporation - The process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid, such as water, absorb enough energy to change to a gaseous state, such as water vapor.
  5. Transpiration - The process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves.
  6. Precipitation - Forms of water such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail that fall from clouds and reach Earth's surface.
  7. Irrigation - The process of supplying water in areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.
  8. Aquifer - An underground layer of rock or soil that holds water.
  9. Wave - The movement of energy through a body of water.
  10. Crest - The highest point of a wave.
  11. Wavelength - The horizontal distance between two wave crests.
  12. Frequency - The number of waves that pass a specific point in a given amount of time.
  13. Trough - The lowest point of a wave.
  14. Wave height - The vertical distance from the crest of a wave to the trough.
  15. Tides - The daily rise and fall of Earth's waters on shores.
  16. Spring tide - A tide with the greatest difference between high and low tide that occurs when the sun and the moon are aligned in a line with Earth.
  17. Neap tide - A tide with the least difference between low and high tide that occurs when the sun and moon pull at right angles to each other.
  18. Continental shelf - A gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent.
  19. Continental slope - An incline leading down from the edge of the continental shelf.
  20. Mid ocean ridge - The undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced; a divergent plate boundary.
  21. Trench - A deep canyon in the ocean floor.
  22. Estuary - A coastal inlet or bay where fresh water mixes with salty ocean water.
  23. Surface current - Horizontal, streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface.

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