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OCEANOGRAPHY
Lesson 1 - Page 3

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The oceans provide most of the water that is needed to fuel the water cycle on Earth. As the diagram shows, the majority of evaporation and precipitation occur over the oceans. Precipitation on land usually is dependant on how much moisture is left in the clouds as they move over land.

The precipitation on land will create runoff. This will migrate down toward sea level bringing eroded sediment into the system. Most of the world’s oceans are composed of 35 parts per million salts. This is called "salinity." The oceans have evolved through billions of years and represent the "end of the line" for rain water on land. 


Distribution of water on the Earth's surface.

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