Earth's Water

• Water on Earth's surface was primarily released from the Earth's interior through volcanic outgassing.
• Most of today's fresh water is located in ice sheets and glaciers.
• Water density decreases when it freezes.
• Water volume increases when it freezes.
• Surface tension and capillarity are results of hydrogen bonding.
• Latent heat is the heat energy involved in changing the state or phase of water.
• When water condenses, it releases heat energy and warms the surrounding air.
• Relative humidity represents the amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature, expressed as a percentage of the air's water vapor saturation capacity.
• An air mass becomes saturated upon reaching the dew point temperature.
• In an air mass with no addition or removal of water, a temperature increase does not affect specific humidity, but decreases relative humidity.
• If saturation vapor pressure increases while the amount of water vapor in the air remains constant, temperature has risen.
• An air parcel is considered unstable when it continues to rise until reaching an altitude where the surrounding air has a similar temperature.
• The dry adiabatic rate (DAR) is 10°C per 1000m.
• Condensation requires condensation nuclei and saturated air.
• Weather refers to the short-term condition of the atmosphere.
• The term "orographic" describes forced uplift due to a physical barrier.
• The hydrologic cycle is a system describing and explaining all water on Earth.
• Potential evapotranspiration refers to the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available.
• Typically, in a hot desert, potential evapotranspiration exceeds actual evapotranspiration.
• A region defined by similar long-term weather characteristics is a climatic region.
• The highest average annual precipitation values occur along the equator.
• A generalized, correct sequence of climates from the equator to the poles is: tropical > desert > mesothermal > microthermal > polar
• The three types of rock formation processes form the rock cycle.
• A metamorphic rock is transformed from any other rock by extreme heat and/or pressure.
• When rock is disintegrated without dissolution, the ongoing process is physical weathering.
• Jointing from pressure release is a weathering process that does not involve water.
• Low rates of physical and chemical weathering are expected under temperatures below freezing.
• Soil development is affected by the type of rock it forms from.
• Geography is described as a spatial science.
• Geography is derived from "geo" and "graphein," literally meaning "to describe the Earth."
• Physical geography involves understanding how Earth's processes interact to produce observed natural phenomena.
• Scientific theories have been tested, are based on multiple lines of evidence, and are widely accepted as explanations.
• Earth's diameter is largest around the Equator.
• Latitude is an angular distance measured north or south of the Equator from Earth's center.
• A line connecting all points along the same longitudinal angle is called a meridian.
• The length of a day is defined by Earth's 24-hour rotation on its axis, or 15 degrees of longitude per hour.
• Areas above 66.5° latitude receive 24 hours of daylight for 6 months of the year.
• A large-scale map is best for a map with a lot of detail over a small area.
• A contour line designates points at the same elevation.
• Earth and life are powered by the Sun's radiant energy
• The Sun produces mainly visible light and infrared energy.
• The dominant wavelength of energy emitted by the Sun is shorter than that emitted by Earth.
• The dominant wavelength emitted by Earth is infrared.
• Uneven distribution of insolation by latitude is mainly a result of Earth's sphericity, which presents varying angles to solar rays.
• High latitudes receive less energy than equatorial regions because the angle of Earth's surface to the Sun's rays reduces solar radiation intensity.
• During the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, the North polar region receives more insolation than areas closer to the equator because the Sun does not set.
• The atmosphere is divided into two broad classifications based on composition: homosphere and heterosphere.
• The highest temperatures in the atmosphere occur in the thermosphere because it is in intense contact with high-energy solar radiation.
• Temperatures decrease with increasing altitude in the troposphere and mesosphere.
• Insolation received at Earth's surface is higher in low-latitude deserts with clear skies.
• Albedo refers to the reflective quality of a surface.
• Fresh snow has a higher albedo.
• Energy reflected in the atmosphere does not act to heat the atmosphere.
• If a surface absorbs insolation, its temperature increases.
• Higher elevations experience lower average temperatures during the day and night.
• An isoline connecting all points of the highest mean temperature on a world map is called the thermal equator.
• Absolute zero is -273°C.
• Northern Hemisphere temperatures are more strongly dominated by continentality than in the Southern Hemisphere.

Explore the origins and distribution of water on Earth, focusing on its unique properties and phase changes. Understand latent heat, humidity, and the effects of temperature on air saturation and vapor pressure. Learn about the processes that govern water's role in our environment.