Water, Water Everywhere

Water is found in the atmosphere, which is made up of Earth's gases. Water vapor is more evident over or near bodies of water. Over the desert, for example, there is very little water vapor. A lot of people wonder what the ocean floor looks like. First off, we find the continental shelf, which is a part of the continent that dips gently downward under the water. Beyond the continental shelf, we have the continental slope, which is much steeper and lies between the continental shelf and the ocean floor. The ocean floor is not all flat for it also contains tall mountains, ridges and valleys. The deepest valley is the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which is more than 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) deep.

Questions (Click on "Comments" and type your answer):

1. What is the state of water in the atmosphere?
2. What is another word for "valley"?
3. What is the mid-ocean ridge?

References:

• Macmillan, McGraw-Hill (2002). Science, Water, Water Everywhere. New York, McGraw Hill
• http://www.climateandweather.net/world_weather/influence_weather.htm