Hydrosphere Contents

1. Water

Water evaporates from the sea

Water evaporated from the sea is essentially pure freshwater with none of the mineral salts that are present in seawater. This evaporation occurs principally in the lower latitude regions where the energy from the sun is greatest. It is estimated that more than 90% of this moisture is redeposited on the sea as rain or snow. The remaining 10% is transported as water vapour and rains on the land. The fraction that is deposited in the polar regions as snow becomes incorporated into the ice cap and is preserved for long periods of time.

What proportion of atmospheric moisture is redeposited on the sea as rain or snow?