Unit E Lesson E1
Completion requirements
Lesson E1: Water on Earth
Video Lesson
Where are all the different places that water is found on Earth? Watch this video to learn more about water on Earth.
Lesson E1: Water on Earth
Figure E.1.1.1 – Ice floats on the Arctic Ocean.
Figure E.1.1.2 – Ocean water is very warm near the equator.
Figure E.1.1.3 – Three oceans surround Canada.
Reading
and Materials for This Lesson
Science in Action 8
Reading: Pages 335–338
Materials:
Empty heat-proof glass jar, electric kettle, water, paper bowl, ice cubes, glass mason jar (1 L capacity), gravel (pea-sized), sand, modelling clay, measuring cup, ruler.
Five Oceans
70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with saltwater oceans. All of Earth’s oceans are connected, but we usually describe oceans as five main bodies of water. Three oceans border Canada. The Arctic Ocean surrounds the north pole and Canada’s northern islands. Hudson Bay is part of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean, Earth’s largest ocean body, is located on the west coast of British Columbia. The Atlantic Ocean is located on the east coast of Canada, touching the Maritime provinces and Quebec.
Two oceans do not touch Canadian land. The Indian Ocean is surrounded by Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica.
70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with saltwater oceans. All of Earth’s oceans are connected, but we usually describe oceans as five main bodies of water. Three oceans border Canada. The Arctic Ocean surrounds the north pole and Canada’s northern islands. Hudson Bay is part of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean, Earth’s largest ocean body, is located on the west coast of British Columbia. The Atlantic Ocean is located on the east coast of Canada, touching the Maritime provinces and Quebec.
Two oceans do not touch Canadian land. The Indian Ocean is surrounded by Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica.
Watch More
Oceans
This video provides more information on the massive size of oceans.
This video provides more information on the massive size of oceans.
How did Earth’s oceans form? Watch this video to learn more.
Figure E.1.1.4 – Water continuously moves around different places on Earth.
Figure E.1.1.5 – Snow is a form of precipitation.
Figure E.1.1.6 – Water condenses in clouds and falls as rain.
A Never-Ending Cycle of Water
Water continuously moves from one place to another around Earth. This process is called the water cycle.
Liquid water evaporates from oceans, lakes, and rivers into gaseous water in the atmosphere. When water in the atmosphere cools and condenses into large clouds, it falls back to Earth as precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or hail.
Some precipitation flows into low-lying areas of land, forming rivers and streams. Rivers and streams eventually flow to oceans. Some precipitation trickles down through soil and rock, where it is stored as groundwater.
Water also cycles through living organisms. Plants, algae, and bacteria take in water for photosynthesis. Living things produce and release water through cellular respiration.
Water continuously moves from one place to another around Earth. This process is called the water cycle.
Liquid water evaporates from oceans, lakes, and rivers into gaseous water in the atmosphere. When water in the atmosphere cools and condenses into large clouds, it falls back to Earth as precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or hail.
Some precipitation flows into low-lying areas of land, forming rivers and streams. Rivers and streams eventually flow to oceans. Some precipitation trickles down through soil and rock, where it is stored as groundwater.
Water also cycles through living organisms. Plants, algae, and bacteria take in water for photosynthesis. Living things produce and release water through cellular respiration.
Watch More
Water Cycle
Watch these videos to learn more about the water cycle.
Watch these videos to learn more about the water cycle.
Try It!
Rain in a Jar
Try this simple experiment to understand how rain forms.
Materials:
Try this simple experiment to understand how rain forms.
Materials:
- Empty heat-proof glass jar
- Electric kettle
- Water
- Paper bowl (not styrofoam)
- Ice cubes
Safety Warning
This activity involves hot water. It must be completed with the supervision of an adult. DO NOT attempt this activity by yourself.
Hot water can burn you or others if you are not careful.
Wear oven mitts when handling the electric kettle.
Take care when pouring hot water.
Hot water can burn you or others if you are not careful.
Wear oven mitts when handling the electric kettle.
Take care when pouring hot water.
Instructions:
- Fill the electric kettle with water.
- Turn on the kettle and boil the water.
- Carefully pour boiling water into the glass jar until it is one-quarter full.
- Cover the opening of the glass jar with a paper bowl.
- Wait 5 minutes.
- Fill the paper bowl with ice cubes.
- Watch the glass jar for several minutes. What do you observe?
- Watch this video to see a similar experiment and its results:
Questions:
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Some of the hot water in the jar evaporated into the air above the water. When this water vapour touched the icy paper plate, it cooled and condensed back into liquid water. The liquid water formed droplets that fell back down the jar.
The evaporation of hot water to vapour represented the evaporation of water from oceans, rivers, and lakes into the atmosphere. The cooling and condensing of water vapour into liquid at the top of the jar represented precipitation.
Figure E.1.1.7 – Water collects in the spaces between deep underground rocks.
Figure E.1.1.8 – Pumps transport groundwater to the surface.
Figure E.1.1.9 – Some lakes are fed by springs.
Water in the Ground
Small spaces and cracks exist between some types of soil and rock particles. When rain falls or when snow melts, some of this fresh water slowly trickles underground into the soil and rock to fill these spaces. A large layer of groundwater is called an aquifer.
Groundwater is an important source of potable water, particularly in dry places that don’t have many sources of surface water. People access groundwater by digging wells and pumping up water. Many rural Albertans rely on wells for potable water.
Sometimes freshwater aquifers connect with Earth’s surface. When this happens, water flows as a spring out of the aquifer. In low-lying landscapes, springs can form ponds or lakes.
Small spaces and cracks exist between some types of soil and rock particles. When rain falls or when snow melts, some of this fresh water slowly trickles underground into the soil and rock to fill these spaces. A large layer of groundwater is called an aquifer.
Groundwater is an important source of potable water, particularly in dry places that don’t have many sources of surface water. People access groundwater by digging wells and pumping up water. Many rural Albertans rely on wells for potable water.
Sometimes freshwater aquifers connect with Earth’s surface. When this happens, water flows as a spring out of the aquifer. In low-lying landscapes, springs can form ponds or lakes.
Watch More
Groundwater
Watch this video to learn more about groundwater.
Watch this video to learn more about groundwater.
Try It!
Groundwater Formation
Groundwater is a very important source of water on the Canadian prairies. But how does water get underground, and why is it only found in certain locations?
Materials:
Groundwater is a very important source of water on the Canadian prairies. But how does water get underground, and why is it only found in certain locations?
Materials:
- Glass mason jar (1 L capacity)
- Gravel (pea-sized)
- Sand
- Modelling clay
- Water
- Measuring cup
- Ruler
Instructions:
- Add a 2 cm layer of gravel to the bottom of the glass jar.
- Add a 4 cm layer of sand to the jar, on top of the gravel layer.
- Place a 2 cm solid layer of modelling clay in the jar, on top of the sand layer. Shape the clay so it touches all sides of the glass jar.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2, alternating layers of gravel and sand, until the jar is full.
- Measure 1 cup of water.
- Slowly pour the water into the top of the glass jar.
- For several minutes, watch the movement of water downward through the jar. What do you observe?
Questions:
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Think about the following questions very carefully. Then, type or write your answers. When you have your answers, click the questions for feedback.
Water travelled downward through gravel at the fastest speed. This is because gravel contained larger spaces between its particles which water could fill.
Water travelled down through the jar until it reached the clay layer. Water could not travel further down than the clay layer because the clay layer did not have any cracks or spaces for water to permeate.
Groundwater is usually located near Earth’s surface because it often reaches layers of rock that it cannot permeate.
Make sure you have understood everything in this lesson. Use the Self-Check below, and the Self-Check & Lesson Review Tips to guide your learning.
Unit E Lesson 1 Self-Check
Instructions
Complete the following 6 steps.
Don't skip steps – if you do them in order, you will confirm your
understanding of this lesson and create a study bank for the future.
- DOWNLOAD the self-check quiz by clicking here.
- ANSWER all the questions on the downloaded quiz in the spaces provided. Think carefully before typing your answers. Review this lesson if you need to. Save your quiz when you are done.
- COMPARE your answers with the suggested "Self-Check Quiz Answers" below. WAIT! You didn't skip step 2, did you? It's very important to carefully write out your own answers before checking the suggested answers.
-
REVISE your quiz answers if you need to. If you answered all the questions correctly, you can skip this step. Revise means to change, fix, and add extra notes if you need to. This quiz is NOT FOR MARKS, so it is perfectly OK to correct
any mistakes you made. This will make your self-check quiz an excellent study tool you can use later.
- SAVE your quiz to a folder on your computer, or to your Private Files. That way you will know where it is for later studying.
- CHECK with your teacher if you need to. If after completing all these steps you are still not sure about the questions or your answers, you should ask for more feedback from your teacher. To do this, post in the Course Questions Forum, or send your teacher an email. In either case, attach your completed quiz and ask; "Can you look at this quiz and give me some feedback please?" They will be happy to help you!
Be a Self-Check
Superhero!
Self-Check Quiz Answers
Click each of the suggested answers below, and carefully compare your answers to the suggested answers.
If you have not done the quiz yet – STOP – and go back to step 1 above. Do not look at the answers without first trying the questions.
When living cells are surrounded by salt water, there is a higher concentration outside the cell compared to inside the cell. This causes water to move out of cells by osmosis, causing them to become shriveled and dehydrated. This means that
drinking salt water would actually make your body lose water.
Canada is the second largest country in the world, which means the land contains many rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Much of Canada’s fresh water is found in glaciers in the Arctic.
When a community experiences a long period without precipitation, its ground or surface water supply decreases without being replenished. In this situation, it is more important to use water to meet the human needs of drinking, cleaning, and
growing crops, rather than for keeping lawns green.
Harmful waste substances in landfills can dissolve in water when it rains or snows. A clay layer under a landfill prevents dissolved harmful substances from travelling through soil and rock into potable (suitable for drinking) groundwater.
Albertans use fresh water in agriculture to grow crops, which people and animals eat as food. The oil sands industry in northern Alberta also uses fresh water, in the process of separating oil from oil sands.