Unit 3: Water

Index:
- Bodies of the water: oceans, seas, lakes and rivers
- Parts of the rivers
- Stages of the rivers
- Main rivers of Spain
- Water cycle
- Underground water

BODIES OF WATER:
OCEANS: LARGE BODIES OF SALT WATER. THERE ARE FIVE: PACIFIC OCEAN, ATLANTIC OCEAN, INDIAN OCEAN, SOUTHERN OCEAN AND ARCTIC OCEAN.

SEAS: LARGE BODY OF SALT WATER BUT SMALLER THAN OCEAN. SOME IMPORTANT SEAS ARE: MEDITERRANEAN SEA, ADRIATIC SEA, BLACK SEA, CASPIAN SEA, BALTIC SEA...

LAKES: LARGE ENCLOSED BODIES OF FRESH WATER.

RIVERS: WATER THAT FLOWS OVER THE GROUND TOWARDS A BODY OF WATER (OCEAN, LAKE, ANOTHER RIVER).

PARTS OF A RIVER:
RIVER BASIN: THE LAND A RIVER FLOWS THROUGH.

RIVERBED: GROUND A RIVER FLOWS OVER.


TRIBUTARY RIVER: A RIVER THAT FLOWS INTO ANOTHER RIVER.


DRAINAGE BASIN: AREA OF SEA OR OCEAN WHERE RIVERS MEET THE SEA.


STAGES OF RIVERS:


UPPER COURSE: FAST-FLOWING (STEEP SLOPE) AND NARROW.


MIDDLE COURSE: MORE SLOW (GENTLE SLOPE OR PLAIN) SOME MEANDERS.

LOWER COURSE: VERY SLOW, WIDE. SOME ESTUARIES.
 

MAIN RIVERS IN SPAIN

Juego de los ríos

Vídeo ríos de España

THE WATER CYCLE

1. EVAPORATION: 

* SUN HEATS WATER IN SEAS, OCEANS, RIVERS AND LAKES. 

WATER EVAPORATES.

* PLANTS CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PROCESS THROUGH TRANSPIRATION (PLANTS LOSE WATER THROUGH THEIR LEAVES).

 

* SOME ICE ON THE TOP OF MOUNTAINS AND ICE CAPS EVAPORATES DIRECTLY WITHOUT MELTING. THIS IS CALLED SUBLIMATION.

2. CONDENSATION: 

*WATER VAPOUR IN THE AIR RISES, 

COOLS AND TURNS INTO WATER DROPLETS 

AND ICE FORMING CLOUDS.

*CLOUDS APPEAR WHITE BECAUSE 

WATER DROPLETS REFLECT LIGHT. 

THE DARKER THE CLOUD LOOKS, 

THE MORE WATER DROPLETS IT CONTAINS.

 

3. PRECIPITATION 

THE WATER DROPLETS COMBINE AND GROW IN SIZE, 

WHEN THEY ARE TOO HEAVY TO STAY IN THE CLOUD 

THEY FALL TO THE GROUND AS PRECIPITATION.

4. COLLECTION

THE PRECIPITATION FALLS AND:

* COLLECTS IN BODIES OF WATER: RIVERS, LAKES, OCEANS, SEAS...

* IT IS ABSORBED BY THE SOIL= GROUNDWATER.

* RIVERS AND GROUNDWATER CARRY 

THIS WATER BACK TO OCEANS AND SEAS WHERE 

IT EVAPORATES AGAIN AND AGAIN.

GROUNDWATER

IT FORMS WHEN THE GROUND ABSORBS PRECIPITATION.

1. WATER TRAVELS THROUGH THE SOIL BY FINDING ROUTES IN POROUS ROCKS.

2. AQUIFERS ARE UNDERGROUND COLLECTIONS OF WATER. AQUIFERS LIE ABOVE IMPERMEABLE ROCKS.

THERE ARE TWO WAYS OF ACCESSING GROUND WATER:

1. NATURAL SPRINGS: UNDERGROUND WATER HAS SO MUCH PRESSURE THAT THE WATER IS FORCED UPWARDS TO THE SURFACE.

2. MAN-MADE WELLS: HOLES MADE BY HUMANS TO HAVE ACCESS TO UNDERGROUND WATER.

 

Unit 2: Weather and Climate

INDEX

The weather

      Definition      

      Factor: Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation

      Predicting Weather

The Climate

      Definition

      Climate zones: Polar climates, tropical climates and temperates climates

THE WEATHER IS THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

AT A CERTAIN TIME

IN A CERTAIN PLACE

THE WEATHER CAN CHANGE: IT CAN BE

SUNNY IN THE MORNING

RAINY IN THE AFTERNOON 

AND WINDY IN THE EVENING

 

WEATHER IS DETERMINED BY FOUR DIFFERENT FACTORS:  
1. TEMPETARUTE

2. HUMIDITY

3. WIND

4. PRECIPITATION.

1. THE TEMPERATURE IS A MEASURE OF HOW HOT OR COLD AIR IS.

                

WE MEASURE THE TEMPERATURE WITH A THERMOMETER

 
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF SCALES:
CELSIUS OR CENTIGRADE (ºC) - FREEZING IS AT 0ºC
FARENHEIT (ºF) - FREEZING IS AT 32ºF.

2. HUMIDITY DESCRIBES HOW MUCH WATER VAPOUR IS PRESENT IN THE AIR. WHEN IT IS VERY HUMID, FOG AND MIST CAN FORM.

WE MEASURE HUMIDITY WITH A HYGROMETER.

       

3. WIND IS MOVING AIR.

DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES CAUSE WIND. HOT AIR GOES UP AND COLD AIR GOES DOWN.

TYPES OF WIND:

 BREEZE (A LIGHT WIND)

GALE (A STRONG WIND)

HURRICANE (A VERY STRONG WIND)

WE MEASURE THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND WITH A WEATHER VANE.

WE MEASURE THE SPEED OF THE WIND WITH AN ANEMOMETER.

 

PRECIPITATION IS THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT FALLS FROM THE CLOUDS.

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF PRECIPITATION:

RAIN (LIQUID WATER): WATER DROPLETS THAT MEASURE MORE THAN 0,5mm ACROSS.

SMALLER DROPLETS FORM DRIZZLE, A LIGHT RAIN.

SLEET: THE AIR IS COLLER AND FROZEN CRYSTALS CAN FORM, IT IS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW.

HAIL (SOLID WATER): FORMS WHEN WATER DROPLETS ARE PUSHED UP BY RISING AIR CURRENTS IN THUNDERSTORMS. THEY FREEZE IN THE CLOUDS AND THEN START TO FALL AGAIN.

SNOW (SOLID WATER): THE CLOUD OS LOW AND THE AIR AROUND IT IS COLD AND DRY. THE LITTLE DROPLETS INSIDE FORM ICE CRYSTALS ADN FALL AS SNOW.

WE MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL WITH A PLUVIOMETER OR RAIN GAUGE

CLOUDS
CLOUDS FORM WHEN WARM AIR RISES AND THEN COOLS DOWN.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLOUDS RESULT IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF WEATHER:

CUMULUS CLOUDS: FLAT AND FLUFFY = GOOD WEATHER.

STRATUS CLOUDS: FORM IN LAYERS AND ARE LOCATED LOW IN THE SKY = DRIZZLE AND FOG.

CIRRUS CLOUDS: THINNER AND LOCATED HIGHER UP IN THE SKY = BAD WEATHER IS COMING.

PREDICTING THE WEATHER
PROFESSIONAL METEOROLOGIST PREDICT WEATHER COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT:
RAINFALL
TEMPERATURE
SUNSHINE 
WIND SPEED
TO DO THAT, THEY USE DIFFERENT DEVICES:

1. WEATHER BALLOONS CARRY INSTRUMENTS HIGH IN THE ATMOSPHERE TO MEASURE TEMPERATURE, AIR, PRESSURE AND HUMIDITY. THEN SEND THE INFORMATION TO WEATHER STATIONS.

WEATHER STATIONS SEND REPORTS TO WEATHER FORECAST CENTRES.

WEATHER SATELLITES ORBIT THE EARTH AND TAKE INFORMATION ABOUT WEATHER.

WITH ALL THESE DATA WE CAN MAKE GRAPHS

WEATHER FORECASTS USE WEATHER MAPS WITH SYMBOLS TO SHOW VISUAL PREDICTIONS.

CLIMATE IS THE TYPICAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION IN A PLACE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
THERE ARE THREE MAIN CLIMATIC CATEGORIES:
POLAR CLIMATES
TROPICAL CLIMATES
TEMPERATE CLIMATES

CLIMATE CATEGORIES ARE DETERMINED BY:

1. SIZE AND LOCATION OF LANDMASSES

2. PRESENCE OF MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS

3. ATMOSPHERIC WIND SYSTEMS

4. OCEANS CURRENTS

POLAR CLIMATES

*  COLD ALL YEAR

*  LOW TEMPERATURES.

*  VERY DARK IN WINTER, VERY SUNNY IN SUMMER.

 

TROPICAL CLIMATES

*  WARM ALL YEAR

*  RAINY SEASONS

*  COUNTRIES BETWEEN TROPIC OF CANCER AND TROPIC OF CAPRICORN.

*  TROPICAL RAINFOREST.

TEMPERATE CLIMATES

*  MILD TEMPERATURES: HOT SUMMERS AND COLD WINTERS.

*  MOST DENSILY POPULATED AREAS.

 THERE ARE DIFFERENT CLIMATES IN SPAIN, FOR EXAMPLE:

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE, CONTINENTAL CLIMATE, ATLANTIC CLIMATE, MOUNTAIN CLIMATE AND SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE. 

MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE:

* HIGH TEMPERATURES IN SUMMER AND MILD IN          WINTER.

* NOT MUCH RAIN

* MEDITERRANEAN COAST, BALEARES, ANDALUCIA.

CONTINENTAL CLIMATE:

* LOW TEMPERATURES IN WINTER AND VERY HIGH      TEMPERATURES IN SUMMER.

* LITTLE RAIN, MOST IN SPRING AND AUTUMN.

* MESETA CENTRAL, DELTA DEL EBRO, ANDALUCIA    AND CATALUÑA.

OCEANIC CLIMATE:

* MILD TEMPERATURES

* RAINY

*  GALICIA, CANTABRIA AND PIRINEOS.

MOUNTAIN CLIMATE:

* LOW TEMPERATURES IN WINTER AND MILD IN            SUMMER.

* PRECIPITATIONS INCREASE WITH ALTITUDE. IT          OFTEN SNOWS.

* AREAS + 1200m ABOVE.

SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE:

* MILD TEMPERATURES ALL YEAR.

* NOT MUCH RAIN (IT RAINS IN MOUNTAINOUS                AREAS).

* CANARIAS.