Geography Notes Ch-4 : Water
Learning Objectives:
● Understand the importance of water for life on Earth.
● Explain the water cycle and its various stages.
● Identify different sources of water and their significance.
● Discuss the challenges of water scarcity and the importance of conservation.
● Develop critical thinking skills to analyse water-related issues.
Keywords
Evaporation: The process of water turning into vapour.
Condensation: The process of water vapour turning into liquid water.
Precipitation: Water falling from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Terrarium: A small, enclosed garden or ecosystem.
Salinity: The measure of salt in water.
Waves: The rise and fall of water caused by wind or underwater disturbances.
Tsunami: A giant wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption.
Tide: The regular rise and fall of the sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon
and Sun.
Neap Tides: Smaller tides that occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth form a right angle.
Spring Tides: Larger tides that occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned.
Ocean Currents: The continuous, predictable movement of seawater driven by wind,
temperature, and salinity differences.
Question and Answers
1. What is the water cycle?
The continuous circulation of water between different sources of water, atmosphere
and land is called the water cycle.
2. What is a terrarium?
A terrarium is an artificial enclosure used for keeping small house plants.
3. Define salinity.
Salinity is the amount of salt in grams present in 1000 grams of water. The average
salinity of oceans is 35 parts per thousand (= 0.035%)
4. Why is water important to us? Suggest a few ways to conserve water.
Water alone can quench the thirst. Water is needed for survival of plant and animal life.
Water is very essential and we should conserve it:
a. By not wasting it during brushing, bathing, washing etc.
b. By trapping the rain water by watershed development or rainwater harvesting.
c. By recycling water.
d. By making check dams and bunds on the fields etc.
5. Why Swimmers can float in the dead sea.
Dead Sea in Israel has salinity of 45 parts per thousand and there the water is dense
making it easier for swimmers to float.
6. What are sea waves?
When the water on the surface of the ocean rises and falls alternately, they are called
waves.
7. How are Tsunamis formed?
Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning harbour waves. Winds blowing at high speed
during a storm form huge waves. An earthquake, volcanic eruption or underwater
landslides can shift a large amount of ocean water. These tidal waves called Tsunami
may be as high as 15 m. It travels at a speed of more than 700 km/hr.
8. What are tides?
The rhythmic rise and fall of ocean water twice a day is called a tide. When water rises
to its highest level and covers much of the ocean it is called high tide. During low tide
the water falls to its lowest level and recedes from the shore.
9. Explain Spring and Neap Tides.
During the full moon and new moon days, the sun, the moon and the earth are in the
same line. On this day the tides are highest. These tides are called Spring Tides.
When the moon is in its first and last quarter, the ocean waters get drawn in diagonally
opposite directions by the gravitational pull of the sun and the earth. It results in low
tides. These tides are called Neap Tides.
10. What are Ocean currents?
Ocean currents are streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite
directions. They may be warm or cold currents:
Warm currents originate near the equator and move towards poles. They bring about
warm temperatures over land surfaces, for example the Gulf stream.
Cold currents originate near poles and move towards tropical or lower latitudes. They
bring about coolness over land surfaces, for example Labrador current.
Mind Map
