Earth's Surface Water
Third Grade
Getting the Idea
Earth is known as the blue planet. That's because so much of Earth is covered by water. In fact, about three-fourths of Earth's surface is covered by water.
Water on Earth
You can find water in many places on Earth. In most of those places where you find water, it is liquid water. Sometimes, it is solid water, or ice. Most of Earth's water is salty water, called salt water. The rest is freshwater, or water that is not salty.
Oceans and Seas
An ocean is one of the large bodies of salt water that surround the continents. There are three oceans around North America. Another large body of salt water is a sea. A sea may be connected to an ocean. All or part of a sea may be surrounded by land.
Rivers and Streams
A river is a large body of flowing freshwater. the Mississippi river is a large river in the middle of the United States. rivers usually flow into a sea or an ocean. Many other large rivers are found around the world. the Nile River in Egypt is the longest river in the world.
A stream is a small body of flowing freshwater. Streams flow into rivers. Streams begin high up in mountains. Streams often start as trickles of water. The water comes from melting snow. rainwater adds to the trickle. As streams flow down a mountain, they join together to form larger streams. the larger streams may join to form the beginning of a river.
People depend on the freshwater of rivers and streams. Many cities and towns were built near rivers and streams. People use the water for farming, for fun, and for moving goods.
Did you Know?
The Black River is a slow-moving river in South Carolina. A material called carbon in the water makes the river look dark, like tea.
Lakes and Ponds
A lake is a large body of water with land all around it. A pond is also a body of water with land all around it. But a pond is smaller than a lake. the water in lakes and ponds is usually freshwater.
Glaciers
Only a very small part of Earth's freshwater is found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Most of Earth's freshwater is frozen water, or ice. Most of the ice is found near Earth's North and South Poles. Some ice floats on the oceans. Some forms huge sheets on the land. Some of these sheets mover very slowly over the land. A large sheet of ice that moves slowly over land is called a glacier.