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How Can The Oceans Be Described?. Ms.Aja Chapter 7 Lesson 1. The Hydrosphere. Bodies of water play a huge role in our lives. They give us a way to travel, places to catch food and beautiful sights to visit.
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How Can The Oceans Be Described? Ms.Aja Chapter 7 Lesson 1
The Hydrosphere • Bodies of water play a huge role in our lives. They give us a way to travel, places to catch food and beautiful sights to visit. • All the waters of Earth make up the hydrosphere. Almost all hydrosphere is ocean water. The hydrosphere covers ¾ of the Earth’s surface. • The Pacific Ocean is the largest followed by the Indian, Southern and Atlantic Ocean. • Each ocean is different. They have different temperatures and the amount of salt varies.
Salinity • Salinity is the measure of how salty water is. • The oceans get salt from rivers • Rivers dissolve small amounts of salts from rocks and soils and carry the salts to the ocean. • Places where rivers pour fresh water into the ocean have low salinity. • In warm areas, ocean water evaporates fairly quickly. • Salt is left behind and the ocean water has higher salinity. • Most current in the oceans’ surfaces are caused by wind.
Ocean Temperature • The temperature in the ocean varies • The closer you are to the equator, the warmer the temperature will be. The nearer you are to the poles, the colder it will be. • Just because you are closer to the pole, doesn’t mean it will be colder. There are some currents that carry warm water. An example is the Gulfstream Current
Ocean Resources • Most of the salt we add to our food comes from the ocean. • This happens when people evaporate the ocean water. • Other materials such as magnesium and drinking water also come from the ocean. • Ocean water can be made drinkable by removing the salt. This is something that is expensive • Many of the things that we eat come from the ocean.
Questions • What is salinity and what causes some ocean water to have a higher salinity than other ocean water? • How much of Earth is covered by water?
Answers • About 75% of the Earth is covered in water. This is equal to ¾. • Salinity is the measure of how salty water is. In warmer areas, water evaporates quickly, so warm ocean water has higher salinity.