Roles of Water in Earth Surface Processes and Waterbody

The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface

Introduction of Waterbody

The water is distributed throughout the planet in various forms and shapes called various water bodies.

Large Water Bodies

Oceans, which make up at least 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, are the largest bodies of water on the planet.

The Ocean is the vast body of salt water that is present on Earth.

Small Water Bodies

Headwater streams, springs, ditches, flushes, and ponds are examples of small bodies of water.

Freshwater Bodies and Saltwater Bodies

Freshwater habitats include lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and creeks.

People use fresh water to drink.

Saltwater is water that contains salt; usually, water from the ocean is salty.

People cannot use salt water for drinking purposes.

Explanation of River:

A river is a stream of water that moves and flows through channels.

The sides of the rivers are known as banks, while the bottom part is known as the bed.

In most cases, they head towards a lake, pond, ocean, or another river.

Normally, rivers flow away from their source and contain freshwater.

The Nile River, which is approximately 6650 kilometers long, is the longest river in the world.

The Amazon River, which is 6400 kilometers long, comes after the Nile.

Streams

A smaller version of rivers is called streams.

They are also known as creeks or brooks.

They usually consist of a waterway that flows freely and descends as directed by gravity.

Lakes

Large bodies of water are called lakes. Lakes are surrounded by land.

Lakes are not a part of an ocean.

Unlike rivers, lakes are relatively still bodies of water that do not flow.

They are substantially bigger than ponds and can hold either freshwater or saltwater.

The Dead Sea, the largest and lowest lake in the world, is 1,371 feet below sea level and is found in Israel.

Ocean

Around 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered in saltwater.

An ocean refers to a huge body of water.

It is split into five main oceans, all of which are interconnected.

The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Antarctica, and Arctic are the five main oceans.

Waterfall

A waterfall is the fall of water over a cliff of rocks, such as a stream or a river.

Additionally, it is a region where icebergs or ice shelves’ edges are broken by melted water from snow or ice.

Seas

The small portions of the oceans are known as seas.

Seas are the parts of oceans that are close to land areas and have a coastline.

The Mediterranean Sea is the most common example of a sea.

Furthermore, seas divide into smaller potions known as bays, gulfs, and straits.

Pond

A small body of water is called a pond.

Ponds generally dry up during the summers.

The water in a pond is not moving like a river. The area of a pond is quite smaller than a lake.

Wetland

Wetlands are regions where the land does not drain well.

In wetland environments, the ground does not drain well. In a wetland, the land is covered by water. Frequently, there is shallow water on the ground.

Wetlands are classified as swamps, marshes, and bogs.