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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Hydrosphere

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Hydrosphere. C.J. Cox. Hydrosphere. Hydros= latin for water. Hydrosphere Key Concepts. Water Cycle Precipitation Water Balance Humidity, Cooling, Condensation Adiabatic Changes Clouds cumulous, stratus, cirrus, fog . Hydrosphere .

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PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Hydrosphere

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  1. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHYHydrosphere C.J. Cox

  2. Hydrosphere Hydros= latin for water

  3. HydrosphereKey Concepts • Water Cycle • Precipitation • Water Balance • Humidity, Cooling, Condensation • Adiabatic Changes • Clouds • cumulous, stratus, cirrus, fog

  4. Hydrosphere • The earth’s water is found as a • LIQUID in rivers, lakes, oceans, rain • GAS in our atmosphere • SOLID in snow and ice • 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water

  5. Hydrosphere Liquid Gas Solid

  6. Water Distribution

  7. The Significance of Water • Water is vital to all life, cell growth, photosynthesis and the absorption of nutrients • Water is temporarily stored in living beings

  8. The Water Cycle or Hydrologic Cycle • The Circulation of water from one part of the earth to another • The water of the oceans & the air of the atmosphere combine to deliver enormous quantities of moisture to the land masses • Process reliant on the ability of water to change from a liquid state to a vapor

  9. Hydrologic Cycle

  10. Processes of the Hydrologic Cycle • Evaporation - the transformation of water from a solid or liquid to a gaseous state • Condensation - transformation of vapor into a liquid • Precipitation - liquid or solid water that falls from the atmosphere to the earth’s surface

  11. VAPOR CONDENSATION SUBLIMATION EVAPORATION MELTING ICE LIQUID FREEZING

  12. Types of Precipitation • convectional precipitation - from a surface heating up (thermal low) with intensity of precipitation • frontal precipitation -collision of cold and warm air masses • Orographic precipitation- air forced to rise & cool due to landforms

  13. Forms of Precipitation • Rain • snow • sleet • hail

  14. Addition precipitation retention in the soil vegetation lakes, streams, rivers Losses evaporation into the air transpiration Water Balancethe balance between the receipt and loss of moisture

  15. Precipitation > Losses = Favorable Water Balance Precipitation < Losses = Unfavorable Water Balance

  16. air temperatures evaporation rates vegetation cover soils urbanization relative location to earth’s waters prevailing winds mountain barriers windward/leeward Factors Influencing the Water Balance

  17. Unfavorable Balances North Africa Australia Central Asia American Southwest Tropics (10-30) considerable evaporation Favorable Water Balances Equatorial Zone Polar Regions Windward sides of Mountains in Prevailing Winds Desert Belts Geography of Water Balances

  18. Humidity, Cooling, Condensation & Clouds • Humidity - the amount of water vapor suspended in the air as a gas • atmospheric water vapor • Relative Humidity - the amount of water vapor present compared to what the air could hold before it rains

  19. Humidity, Cooling, Condensation & Clouds • Dewpoint - lowering of temperature to reach condensation • 100% relative humidity • Water Vapor Capacity - how much vapor the air can hold • moisture capacity varies with temperature

  20. Adiabatic Changes • Changes in temperature as air moves upward • Rising air expands as it moves upward into levels which have a lower density • expansion occurs in the cooling process • Descending air moving into an area of greater air density is compressed • compression occurs in the warming process

  21. Adiabatic Changes • Dry Adiabatic Rate - the rate at which dry (vapor) vertically moving air masses change temperature • 5.5 degrees for each 1000 ft. • Wet Adiabatic Rate - the rate at which wet (condensed liquid) verticallly moving air masses change temperature • 3.2 degrees per 1000 ft.

  22. What is a Cloud? • Suspended condensation droplets in the air

  23. How Are Clouds Formed?

  24. Types of Clouds Cumulus Cirrus Stratus

  25. Cumulus

  26. Stratus

  27. Cirrus

  28. Rain Clouds • Nimbus = rain • Nimbotratus • Cumulonimbus

  29. Nimbostratus

  30. Combination Clouds • Stratocumulus • Altocumulus • Cirrocumulus

  31. Combination Clouds • Nimbostratus • Altostratus • Cirrostratus

  32. Combination Clouds • Cirrocumulus • Cirrostratus

  33. What is Fog? • Clouds touching the ground • usually caused by cold water or cold ground which causes the moisture in the air to condense into droplets

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