For use with my sixth grade science classes.

1. Energy Transfer in
The Atmosphere
and
The Hydrosphere

2. What is the Atmosphere?
• Surrounds the Earth
• made up of 21% Oxygen , 78% Nitrogen
• Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere,
Troposphere
• Each layer has different temperatures

4. Radiation in the Atmosphere
• Source : Sun
• Most of the radiation energy is absorbed.
• Some energy is reflected back into space
Radiation is when particles or waves are
transferred in a medium or space, in the
form of electromagnetic waves

5. Absorption
►Turns energy into another type of energy,
eg. Thermal energy
►Water vapor , carbon dioxide, ozone, major
absorbing gases
►Clouds, atmosphere , land radiates energy
back into space

7. ► The atmosphere and hydrosphere are the two
essential parts of the climate system
They both are able to absorb and store thermal
energy , so they act as heat sinks.
► Absorbing thermal (heat) energy and storing it
helps regulate the temperature of the Earth.

8. How Is Energy Transferred in the
Atmosphere?
• Conduction is when heat gets transferred in
solids and fluids by molecules bumping into
each other (by contact).
• Convection is when molecules (heat) moves
throughout a liquid or gas.
• .
• .

10. The Water Cycle
The continuous
movement of water into
the air, onto land, and
then back to water
sources.

11. Evaporation
• Liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises
into the atmosphere.
• Water continually evaporates from Earth’s
oceans, lakes, streams, and soil.
• Majority of water evaporates from the oceans.

12. Condensation
• Water vapor forms water droplets on dust
particles.
• Water droplets form clouds, in which the
droplets collide, stick together, create heavier
and larger droplets.

13. Precipitation
• After the larger droplets form during
condensation, they fall from the clouds as:
– Rain
– Snow
– Sleet
– Hail

14. The Hydrosphere
• The hydrosphere includes all of the water on
or near the Earth’s surface.
• This includes water in the oceans, lakes, rivers,
wetlands, polar ice caps, soil, rock layers
beneath Earth’s surface, and clouds.

15. The Earth’s Oceans

16. The Earth’s Oceans
• All of the ocean’s are joined.
• 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by salt water.
• Largest Ocean = Pacific Ocean
• Smallest Ocean = Arctic Ocean

17. Ocean Water - Salinity
• Ocean water contains more salts than fresh
water.
• Most of the salt is sodium chloride. NaCl
• The salt comes from:
– dissolved out of rocks on land and carried down the
rivers into the oceans.
– Underwater volcanic eruptions

18. Ocean Water
• Salinity – concentration of all the dissolved
salts. (Average – 3.5% by weight)
• Salinity is lower in places that get a lot of rain
or fresh water that flows into the ocean.
• Salinity is higher where water evaporates
rapidly and leaves the salt behind.

19. Ocean Water – Temp. Zones
• The surface of the ocean is warmed by the
sun.
• The depths of the ocean have temperatures
slightly above freezing.
• Thermocline – The boundary between the
warm and cold layers where the temperature
falls rapidly with depth.

20. Ocean Temperature Zones

21. Temperature Regulation
• One of the most important functions of the world
ocean is to absorb and store energy from the
sunlight.
• The capacity of the ocean to absorb and store
energy from sunlight regulates temperature in
the Earth’s atmosphere.
• The world ocean absorbs over half of the solar
radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface.

22. Water Bodies as Temperature buffers
• The northern hemisphere is 39 percent land and 61 percent ocean. The
southern hemisphere is 19 percent land and 81 percent ocean. Due to larger
portion of water in the southern hemisphere the land south of the equator
experience an annual temperature variation by 7.3 degrees Celsius from
summer to winter. In the northern hemisphere the variation could be up to 14.3
degrees Celsius.

23. Temperature Regulation
• Local temperatures in different areas of the
planet are also regulated by the world ocean.
• Currents that circulate warm water cause the
land areas they flow past to have a more
moderate climate.

24. Regional Climate
• The great lakes are also
known for the strong
moderating effect they
have on the climate of the
areas that surrounded
these lakes. These huge
water masses keep
summer and winter
temperature moderate,
they also provide a lot of
moisture.

25. Ocean Currents
• Surface Currents - Streamlike movements of
water that occur at or near the surface of the
ocean.
– Result from global wind patterns
– May be warm-water or cold-water currents
– Influence the climate of land areas they flow past

26. Ocean Currents
• Deep Currents – Streamlike movements of water
that flow very slowly along the ocean floor.
– Form when cold, dense water from the poles sinks
below warmer, less dense ocean water and flows
toward the equator.
– The densest, coldest water is located off the coast of
Antarctica.
– This cold water sinks to the bottom of the ocean and
moves very slowly northward to produce the Antarctic
Bottom Water.

27. Ocean Currents

28. • Oceans are warmer near the equator than oceans
near the polar region. The atmospheric circulation
that is set up between the equator and the poles
helps in the redistribution of water masses.
• Wind that blows over the ocean surface drags and
starts to move the surface water, these currents
are influenced by the Coriolis force. The Coriolis
force is used to describe the effect of Earth’s
rotation on the motion of moving objects.
• Ocean currents are influenced by the position of
landmasses. In the Pacific currents correspond to
the patterns of the surface winds; currents are
more complex near the Indian and Atlantic Ocean.
In the North Atlantic, the Gulfstream pushes the
warm water towards the North Pole and cold air
back towards the equator.
Ocean Currents and Coriolis Force

29. • The region that lies between 23.5 degrees north
and 23.5 degrees south of equator is called
tropics. This region receives a large amount of
solar energy which creates a flow of warm
current, which flows towards the poles. When
the current reaches the poles it starts its
journey back towards the equator, this process
is defined by great ocean conveyor belt. In a
conveyor the currents carrying warmer and less
dense water move in one direction while
currents carrying salty and cold water move in
the opposite direction.
• The conveyor occurs due to two facts. First
reason is due to the variation in water
temperature, as warm water is lighter and less
dense than the cold water. Second reason is due
to the difference in amount of salt present in
the ocean water. As freshwater is lighter and
less dense than the salty water. Due to these
two factors stated the creation of thermohaline
circulation is created.
Conveyor Belt and Thermohaline
Circulation

30. Cycle of Ocean Current
• Within the oceans there is a sophisticated system of
massive streams that helps to circulate the ocean waters.
The gulf stream that moves into the North Atlantic sinks as
it cools and returns south though the Atlantic seafloor, it
then flows as a bottom current up until the South Atlantic
form there it rises to the surface in the Indian Ocean and
the Eastern Pacific to warm up and then turns west
towards the Gulfstream. For a complete run through this
current system takes about 1000 years.
• This current system is very delicate minor changes can
upset the balance of temperature differences and
prevailing winds. Scientists have said that the melting of
the Greenland icecap can cause so much melt water of low
salinity and density that this could prevent the Gulfstream
from sinking and returning as a southward bottom current.
This would affect the current system and cause waters
near the equator and regions close to the equator to get
warmer and northern Europe to get colder

31. Cycle of Ocean Current

32. Fresh Water
• 3% of all the water on Earth is fresh water.
• Most is locked up in icecaps and glaciers
• Also found in lakes, rivers, wetlands, the soil,
rock layers below the surface, in the
atmosphere

33. River Systems
• A network of streams that drains an area of
land
• Contains all the land drained by the river
including the main river and its tributaries
• Tributaries – smaller streams or rivers that
flow into larger ones

34. The Mississippi River

35. Groundwater
• Rain and melting snow sink into ground and
run off the land.
• Some ends up in streams and rivers but most
trickles down through the ground and collects
as groundwater.
• Less than 1% of all water on Earth.

36. Aquifer
• Aquifer - A rock layer that stores and allows
the flow of groundwater.
• Recharge Zone – The surface of the land
where water enters an aquifer.

37. United States Aquifers