Water in Geography

G.G.PG .COLLEGE .QUETTA .CANTT..
ASSIGNMENT # 01
SUBJECT; Geography
TOPIC; Water and it’s distribution
DEPARTMENT; Chemistry 3rd sem
DATE; 5th april,2024
SUBMITTED BY; Maryam Shafique
SUBMITTED TO; Miss Azra Marri

WATER
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula H2O. It is a transparent, tasteless,
odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, and it is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere
and the fluids of all known living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life.
STATE;
Because Earth's environment is relatively close to water's triple point, water exists on Earth as a solid, a
liquid, and a gas. It forms precipitation in the form of rain and aerosols in the form of fog. Clouds consist
of suspended droplets of water and ice, its solid state. When finally divided, crystalline ice may
precipitate in the form of snow. The gaseous state of water is steam or water vapor.
DISTRIBUTION OF WATER ON EARTH;

Water covers about 71% of the Earth's surface, with seas and oceans making up most of the water
volume (about 96.5%). Small portions of water occur as groundwater (1.7%), in the glaciers and the ice
caps of Antarctica and Greenland (1.7%), and in the air as vapor, clouds (consisting of ice and liquid
water suspended in air), and precipitation (0.001%). Water moves continually through the water cycle of
evaporation, transpiration (evapotranspiration), condensation, precipitation, and runoff, usually
reaching the sea.
Water plays an important role in the world economy. Approximately 70% of the fresh water used by
humans goes to agriculture. Fishing in salt and fresh water bodies has been, and continues to be, a
major source of food for many parts of the world, providing 6.5% of global protein. Much of the long-
distance trade of commodities (such as oil, natural gas, and manufactured products) is transported by
boats through seas, rivers, lakes, and canals. Large quantities of water, ice, and steam are used for
cooling and heating in industry and homes. Water is an excellent solvent for a wide variety of
substances, both mineral and organic; as such, it is widely used in industrial processes and in cooking
and washing. Water, ice, and snow are also central to many sports and other forms of entertainment,
such as swimming, pleasure boating, boat racing, surfing, sport fishing, diving, ice skating,
snowboarding, and skiing.
FRESH WATER;
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations
of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and
brackish water, it does include non-salty mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs. Fresh water
may encompass frozen and melt water in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, snowfields and icebergs, natural
precipitations such as rainfall, snowfall, hail/sleet , and surface runoffs that form inland bodies of water
such as wetlands, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, as well as groundwater contained in aquifers,
subterranean rivers and lakes. Fresh water is the water resource that is of the most and immediate use
to humans.
Water is critical to the survival of all living organisms. Many organisms can thrive on salt water, but the
great majority of vascular plants and most insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds need fresh
water to survive.
Fresh water is not always potable water, that is, water safe to drink by humans. Much of the earth's
fresh water (on the surface and groundwater) is to a substantial degree unsuitable for human
consumption without some treatment. Fresh water can easily become polluted by human activities or
due to naturally occurring processes, such as erosion. Fresh water makes up less than 3% of the
worldwater resources, and just 1% of that is readily available. Just 3% of it is extracted for
consumption.Agriculture uses roughly two thirds of all fresh water extracted from the environment.
GLACIERS
Thousands of years ago, before the world got contaminated with pollution, ice formed high atop the
mountains. This ice slowly transformed into glacial masses that have remained undisturbed for
centuries, creating one of the world’s purest sources of water.
One of the best things about glacial water is that it is naturally infused with minerals that are essential
for our body. The minerals such as calcium and magnesium present in glacial water make it a perfect
hydration choice for those seeking a healthy and refreshing drink.
The natural filtration process through the glacial formations removes impurities, making it a safe and
clean way to quench your thirst. Not only is glacial water a great choice for your health, but it’s also a
sustainable choice since it comes from a self-replenishing source. It’s about time that the world makes
more of an endeavor to explore the benefits of glacial water and why it’s worth considering as your go-
to drink.
RIVERS AND STREAMS;

A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel.
Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or
regional names. Long, large streams are usually called rivers, while smaller, less voluminous and more
intermittent streams are known as streamlets, brooks or creeks.
The flow of a stream is controlled by three inputs – surface runoff (from precipitation or melt water),
day lighted subterranean water, and surfaced groundwater (spring water). The surface and
subterranean water are highly variable between periods of rainfall. Groundwater, on the other hand,
has a relatively constant input and is controlled more by long-term patterns of precipitation. The stream
encompasses surface, subsurface and groundwater fluxes that respond to geological, geomorphological,
hydrological and biotic controls.
Streams are important as conduits in the water cycle, instruments in groundwater recharge, and
corridors for fish and wildlife migration. The biological habitat in the immediate vicinity of a stream is
called a riparian zone. Given the status of the ongoing Holocene extinction, streams play an important
corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity. The study of
streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology and is a core element of environmental
geography.
GROUND WATER;
Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored
in and moves slowly through geologic formations of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers. Groundwater is
used for drinking water by more than 50 percent of the people in the United States, including almost
everyone who lives in rural areas. The largest use for groundwater is to irrigate crops. Groundwater can
be found almost everywhere. The water table may be deep or shallow; and may rise or fall depending
on many factors. Heavy rains or melting snow may cause the water table to rise, or heavy pumping of
groundwater supplies may cause the water table to fall.
OCEAN WATER;
The ocean is the body of salt water that covers ~70.8% of the Earth. In English, the term ocean also
refers to any of the large bodies of water into which the world ocean is conventionally divided. Distinct
names are used to identify five different areas of the ocean: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic/Southern,
and Arctic. The ocean contains 97% of Earth's water and is the primary component of the Earth's
hydrosphere, thus the ocean is essential to life on Earth. The ocean influences climate and weather
patterns, the carbon cycle, and the water cycle by acting as a huge heat reservoir.
The proportions (by weight) of the major dissolved elements in ocean water.
The average salinity of the oceans is 35 g of salt per litre of water, but there are significant regional
variations in this value, as shown in Figure . Ocean water is least salty (around 31 g/L) in the Arctic, and
also in several places where large rivers flow in (e.g., the Ganges/Brahmaputra and Mekong Rivers in
south east Asia, and the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers in China). Ocean water is most salty (over 37 g/L) in
some restricted seas in hot dry regions, such as the Mediterranean and Red Seas. You might be
surprised to know that, in spite of some massive rivers flowing into it (such as the Nile and the Danube),
water does not flow out of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic. There is so much evaporation
happening in the Mediterranean basin that water flows into it from the Atlantic, through the Strait of
Gibraltar.

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G.G.PG .COLLEGE .QUETTA .CANTT..

TOPIC; Water and it’s distribution

DEPARTMENT; Chemistry 3rd sem

DATE; 5th april,2024

SUBMITTED BY; Maryam Shafique

SUBMITTED TO; Miss Azra Marri

DISTRIBUTION OF WATER ON EARTH;

RIVERS AND STREAMS;

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