Water: A Precious Resource

1) What do you understand about water cycle?

Ans:The process by which water continually changes its form and circulates between oceans, atmosphere and land is known as the water cycle.

2) Why are the oceans salty or saline?

The water of the ocean is salty or saline because it contains large amount of dissolved salts.

3) What are the waves?

When the water on the surface of the ocean rises and falls alternately, they are called waves.

4) What is salinity?

Salinity is the amount of salt in grams present in 1000 grams of water.

5) What is tide? Describe high and low tides.

The rhythmic rise and fall of ocean water twice in a day is called a tide. When water covers much of the shore by raising to its highest level it is called high tide. It is low tide when water falls to its lowest level and recedes from the shore.

6) What are ocean currents? Differentiate between warm and cold currents.

Ocean currents are streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite directions. The ocean currents may be warm or cold. Generally the warm ocean currents originate near the equator and move towards the poles. The cold currents carry water from polar or higher latitudes to tropical or lower latitudes. The ocean current influences the temperature conditions of the area.

7) How do tides originate?

The strong gravitational pull exerted by the sun and the moon on the earth’s surface causes the tides. During the full moon and new moon days, the sun, the moon and the earth are in the same line and the tides are the 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 direction by the gravitational pull of sun and earth resulting in low tides. These tides are called neap tides.

8) How do the ocean currents influence us?

The ocean currents influence us because of influencing the temperature conditions of the area. The areas where the warm and cold currents meet provide the best fishing grounds of the world. Apart from this, where warm and cold currents meet provide foggy weather making navigation difficult.

9) Differentiate between Neap Tides and Spring tides

During the full moon and new moon days, the sun, the moon and the earth are in the same line and the tides are the 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 direction by the gravitational pull of sun and earth resulting in low tides. These tides are called neap tides.

10) Describe the formation of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

The Great Pacific garbage patch formed gradually as a result of ocean or marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. It is formed in the North Pacific region as because the water in the region is usually cam and the garbage all the over the ocean gets accumulated in that region.