Distinguish between the following: (3x3=9)
1. Continents and Oceans
2. Atmosphere and Hydrosphere
Answers
Answer:
A very large landmass is called a continent. A
very large body of water is called an ocean. There are seven continents in all. They
are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica.
The smallest continents is Australia. The largest continents is Asia. Continents are
further divided into smaller parts called countries. India is a country within Asia.
There are five oceans. They are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian
Ocean, the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest
and the Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean. Oceans are very deep. A sea is also a
large water body but is smaller than an ocean.
The geophysical results obtained at sea are compared with those on land. It is concluded that there is a basic difference between the structure of oceans and continents, and that the deep ocean basins can never have been parts of continents. The possibility of the gradual growth of the continents is considered. This hypothesis suggests that there may be differences between the material below the Mohorovičić discontinuity on land and at sea
Now 2nd
The hydrosphere refers to the most important resource which I water. The hydrosphere includes all forms of water in the Earth’s environment. The forms of water include things such as the ocean, lakes, rivers, snow and glaciers, water underneath the earth’s surface and even the water vapour that is found in the atmosphere. The hydrosphere is always in motion as seen through the movement and flow of water in rivers, streams and the ocean (beach). Plant and animal organisms rely on the hydrosphere for their survival as water is essential. The hydrosphere is also home to many plants and animals and it believed that the hydrosphere covers approximately 70% of the earth’s surface
The atmosphere referrers to the air that surrounds the earth. The atmosphere is always in motion and constantly changing. It’s believed that there are about 14 different gases that make up the atmosphere. The atmosphere is also responsible for the weather as the weather occurs within the lower atmosphere.
The bottom layer of the atmosphere is known as the troposphere. The troposphere is where the weather happens. It is the warmest near the Earth because of the heat rising from the earth’s surface but it becomes colder with altitude. This layer is separated from the next by what is know s as tropopause. The tropopause is the point in which temperatures will begin to change due to the increase of altitude.
Above the tropopause is the stratosphere. The stratosphere is where there large concentration of ozone gas is found. The ozone gasses are essential as they absorb a large percent of radiant solar energy, protecting the earth from harmful ultra violet rays also known as UV.
The coldest of spheres is known as the mesosphere this is where the water vapor often freezes to create clouds that are purely made of ice. The mesosphere is separated from the thermosphere by the mesopause.
The topmost layer is known as the thermosphere, this is where many satellites circle the earth. Due to the thin air and proximity of the sun, the temperatures in the thermosphere tend to rapidly increase and decrease.