Meridian Energy
Fiordland College
Board of Trustees
Water / Wai
Water / Wai
22nd July 2019- NZ Classification Hmm... Introduced (by comets and asteroids)
- Conservation Status Threatened
- Life Strategy Recycling: Water Cycle
- Feeding Level Non living, but essential to life
- Habitat Universe - also found on planet Earth
- Population About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered
Water / Wai
The Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet?
About seventy one percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about ninety seven percent of all Earth's water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your dog.
Water is never sitting still. Thanks to the water cycle, our planet's water supply is constantly moving from one place to another and from one form (physical state) to another. Things would get pretty stale without the water cycle!
(Information from: USGS Science for a changing world)
Did you know that you drink dinosaur pee every day? Earth’s water is so old that, statistically speaking, every time you drink a glass of water, you’re probably swallowing a water molecule (H2O) that passed through a dinosaur.
We are all aware that most land plants (e.g. beech trees!) use photosynthesis to grow and produce the oxygen we breathe. But roughly half of the total photosynthesis on Earth occurs in the surface of the ocean, carried out by tiny micro-algae called phytoplankton.
Water is tasteless, almost colourless, transparent and odorless. It also is the only natural substance that is found in all three physical states (liquid, solid and gas) at the temperatures normally found on Earth. Moreover, life totally depends on it. Not bad for a boring looking substance!
Of the small amount that is available as freshwater, only a fraction is readily available for our everyday use (like drinking water). This explains why water is such a precious resource, even though it seems like we have such an abundance of it.
Water also has the power to shape the landscape... but this is next week's story.
Questions Asked
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Can water escape the water cycle?
The water cycle is a closed system. In Science, a closed system is a system that does not interact with other systems (basically nothing gets in and nothing gets out). However, water vapour can escape from the upper atmosphere, but very minimal loss occurs. (From: http://wxguys.ssec.wisc.edu/2017/10/16/upper-atmosphere-water/)
how does so much rubbish get in the water
1. People litter, or wind blows rubbish out of dumpsters and garbage bins. 2. The rubbish makes its way into storm drains. 3. Rubbish travels through sewer pipes, into waterways, and finally into the ocean. 4. Solar radiation causes plastic products to break down into microplastics (remember plastic is not biodegradable like paper or wood). 5. Polyester, nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers (all of which are forms of plastic) are now about 60 percent of the material that makes up our clothes worldwide. Estimates vary, but it’s possible that a single load of laundry could release hundreds of thousands of fibers from our clothes into the water supply... and into the ocean. All these problems have solutions, and positive changes start with each of us.