Have you taken a sip from a water fountain or turned on a faucet today? Did you ever stop to think about where that water comes from? In this resource, you will explore the hydrosphere and learn about surface water and discover the source of the water that we use every day. You will also determine how surface water influences population density; where people live.

Video segment. Assistance may be required. What do you remember about the earth's hydrosphere? Take a look at this quick video to get a reminder.

Source: hydrosphere, newjerseydevilsfan30, YouTube

The hydrosphere is the water realm of Earth. It includes water contained in oceans, lakes, rivers, and various other types of water sources in the atmosphere. The image below depicts the amount of water in comparison to the size of Earth. The blue sphere represents the amount of all Earth's water (oceans, lakes, etc.) in comparison to the size of Earth.

Image of a large planet earth with the North America and South America prominently shown. There is a small, blue sphere that sits on top of the United States; it covers only a small portion of southwestern United States Source: Global Water Volume, US Geological Survey

Based upon this image what do you think about the amount of water on Earth? Is it important for us to study where water comes from? Check out this video from the U.S. Geological Survey; find out why the government finds it important to study water surfaces.

This activity might not be viewable on your mobile device.Video segment. Assistance may be required. National Hydrography Dataset

Activity: Answer these questions in your notes.

  1. Name 3 reasons why water is important to our daily lives?
  2. How can mapping water locations help society?