Module 4 - Follow the WaterMain MenuPhysical states of waterAnomalous properties of waterWater throughout the Solar SystemMercuryVenusMoonMarsWater in the outer Solar systemIce Giants – Uranus, NeptuneThe Icy satellitesTidal Heating - crunchy on the outside, liquid goodness on the insideIcy Geysers on EnceladusEuropa’s sub-surface oceanPlutoA final Splash - SummaryFrank Fuetendee05431475b87c68ebf15bbea4bfeac11808e9eMariek Schmidt3b678a5bd42eb8bf9a55fb761e5f17b11ce872c1
1media/UpsilonAndromedae_D_moons.jpg2016-05-09T12:46:05+00:00Water throughout the Solar System12image_header2019-06-12T17:25:38+00:00We have already seen that comets are essentially dirty snowballs that evaporate as they get close to the sun. There are more icy lumps hidden in the Asteroid belt but given our current state of knowledge we expect them to remain frozen lumps. For the remaining portion of this module, we’ll restrict our examination to the larger and arguably more interesting bodies within the solar system, the planets and their satellites. We’ll start with our planet as a reference and then move through the solar system.
Earth, the Blue Planet
Examining the Earth from space it certainly appears to be a very watery planet as large oceans are clearly visible. Approximately 71% of the planet is covered in water, giving it its blue appearance. The average ocean depth is approximately 4 km which means that the total volume of water in the oceans is approximately 1.37 billion km3 (1,370x106 km3). In addition to the oceans, large ice sheets in Antarctica (21.6 million km3) and Greenland (2.34 million km3) as well as many smaller glaciers lock up water in ice form. Canada has a tremendous reservoir of freshwater. Canada’s largest 50 lakes each have a surface area of more than 1,000 km2. Groundwater is important as it provides aquifers for many regions. Our thick atmosphere drives an active water cycle that keeps approximately 12,900 km3 of water suspended in it as vapour. Overall then the water is distributed like this:
Plate tectonics on Earth also has an important influence on the water budget of the planet. At subduction zones, oceanic floor material returns to the mantle. This drags a large amount of water back into the mantle. The interior of the Earth is thought to contain multiple times the amount of water that is found in the oceans and that it plays an important role in mantle convection-related processes.
So, in summary, we have a lot of water on our planet. Having spent some time here, we expect you are relatively familiar with most modes of occurrence. So, let us now look at other locations within the solar system. We'll start with a planet you would not normally associate with water.