hydrosphere our fragile planet

[...]... America The Missouri River flows into the M ­ ississippi; ­ combined, these two rivers create the longest river in North America, a total of 3,895 miles (6,270 km) (Without the Missouri, the Mississippi is only the fourteenth longest river in the world.) On its journey into the Gulf of ­Mexico, the Mississippi runs through or borders 10 states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky,... Freshwater in Each of Its Reservoirs Water Source Percentage of FreshWater* Ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow 68.7 Groundwater 30.1 Ground ice and permafrost 0.86 Lakes 0.26 Atmosphere 0.04 Freshwater wetlands (swamps) 0.03 Rivers 0.006 Biological water 0.003 *Due to rounding, the sum of these percentages is slightly less than 100% Source: Gleick, P H “Water Resources.” In Encyclopedia of Climate... and summers are short and cool The glaciers flow downhill from their source in the mountains, where excess snow accumulates The Siachen glacier in the Himalaya Mountains, at 48 miles (78 km) 13 14 hydrosphere long, is the largest alpine glacier in the world Its ice eventually melts to become the Indus River, which is a crucial source of water for both India and ­Pakistan The more water that glaciers... solar system No other planet has suitable conditions for the existence of abundant water This irreplaceable substance can take the form of a liquid, solid, or vapor Because water is present in each of these three states, it cycles through the Earth’s atmosphere, glaciers and ice caps, streams and lakes, and even through living creatures It is safe to say that without water, our planet would be lifeless... difficult to remove The result is that the waterways resemble a toxic soup that may be the cause of cancers and other illnesses in people and ­wildlife This book, Hydrosphere, describes human uses and abuses of inland waterways Part One discusses the planet s fresh water and how people use it Part Two looks at the myriad pollutants that are released into the environment and their effects on human health and... PLANET 1 The Water Cycle t his chapter discusses water—­the Earth’s most distinctive nonliving feature The pressure and temperature conditions on Earth allow liquid water to be stable; it is also abundant, a situation that is unique in the solar system Water is also present as a gas, which is known as water vapor, and as solid ice The Earth became cool enough for liquid water to form early in the planet s... liquid water, although the atmosphere holds water vapor, and glaciers and ice caps hold water in the form of ice A glacier is a moving mass of ice and snow that forms on land 3  hydrosphere Where the Water ­Is The Earth’s hydrosphere contains all of the water found in its atmosphere, oceans, lakes, streams, and groundwater Water is also found in animals and plants A look at Earth from space shows that... average Brackish water has salinity levels between freshwater and seawater and is found in saline lakes and estuaries Only a tiny amount of the planet s ­water—­the remaining 2.5%—is fresh The table on page 5 shows the percentages of Earth’s freshwater held in the planet s reservoirs Most of this water is held in ice, permanent snow, and the permanently frozen soil known as permafrost ­ The Water ­Molecule... solar system, Earth appears as a blue dot The blue is water, nearly all of which is seawater Freshwater makes up only 3% of the water on the planet, and two thirds of that is trapped in glaciers and ice caps This means that only 1% of the Earth’s water is available—in sources such as lakes, rivers, and groundwater—to support rich ecosystems of plants and animals The small amount of freshwater that is found... fish and other aquatic creatures These days, aquaculture, also called fish farming, augments the amount of food that freshwater sources provide Over time, inland waters have become important for industrial processes and power generation Freshwater has long been a valuable resource for commerce and industry Before extensive roadways were built, and when air travel was just a fantasy, streams and lakes . PPPPPPP LLLLLLL AAAAAAA NNNNNNN EEEEEEE TTTTTTT HYDROSPHERE Freshwater Systems and Pollution OUR FRAGILE PLANET Atmosphere Biosphere Climate Geosphere Humans and the Natural Environment Hydrosphere Oceans Polar Regions HYDROSPHERE Freshwater. Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Desonie, Dana. Hydrosphere : freshwater systems and pollution / Dana Desonie. p. cm. — (Our fragile planet) Includes bibliographical references and index. . of atmospheric gases brought about by human activi- ties. The planet is changing fast and people are the primary cause. O ur Fragile Planet is a set of eight books that celebrate the won- ders