Lecture 2

Earth’s Hydrospheric Natural Resources
Hydrosphere is the sphere of water. It encompasses the global water resources and its distribution over the land, atmosphere, and oceans. The water resources of the globe include, the major oceans and seas, glaciers and ice on mountains and polar regions,. Rivers and streams with their running water Lakes, ponds and reservoirs Groundwater and soil moisture and the water vapour.
The major part of the global water is saline and is present in the oceans. Fresh water is very limited and is found in rivers and in lakes. The surface water resources are mainly used for-
·      Drinking and sanitation
·      Agriculture and irrigation
·      domestic consumption
·      industrial processes
·      power generation
·      water transport.
Groundwater resources are mainly used for drinking, domestic consumption and industrial applications when the surface water is limited.