Hydrological Cycle – Water (Ocean)
The hydrological cycle is also known as the water cycle. It is s continuous movement of water between the Earth’s land, ocean, and atmosphere. The cycle consists with many processes including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and surface runoff.
The sun’s heat provides energy to evaporate the water of the earth’s surface. This water moves through the air, from the oceans to the land. Eventually, it gets absorbed into the atmosphere and comes back down to Earth as rain. The hydrological cycle is really important to sustain the functionality of the Earth. It plays a major role in the cycling of solar energy, sediments, and chemical elements that are really vital for our life. The cycle is also linked to the changes in the atmospheric temperature and to maintaining the radiation balance of it. Here are some major facts about the Hydrological Cycle of ocean water as mentioned below.
- Water distribution varies across the Earth, with some places having plenty while others face scarcity.
- 71% of Earth’s water is in oceans. On the other side, the rest is in lakes, glaciers, groundwater, and living organisms.
- About 59% of water reaching land evaporates back into the air. The rest either stays on the surface, goes underground, or forms glaciers.
- Despite continuous demand, the amount of renewable water remains unchanged and it leads to ongoing or occasional water shortages in different regions.
- Around 70.8 % of the area of the earth is covered by water and 29.2% of its area is covered by land.
- About 96.5% of the Earth water is salty that is found in seas and oceans.
- Fresh water occupies only 2.5%. Saline ground water and the saline lakes together consists with 1% of total water.
Water (Ocean)| Class 11 Chapter 12 Geography Notes
The Ocean Water is the salty water that makes the whole ocean and sea. It is the primary component of the Earth’s hydrosphere which accounts for almost 97% of the Earth’s water. The ocean and sea are the important habitats for so many species of the Earth. It is a complex mixture of 96.5 percent water and 2.5 percent salts. Some smaller amounts of other substances, including dissolved inorganic and organic materials, particulates, and a few atmospheric gases are also present in the Ocean Water.
In this article, we are going to discuss the Water of the Ocean in detail.
Water (Ocean)| Class 11 Chapter 12 Geography Notes