The presence of water on Earth is discussed on the basis of the various theories about its origin such as a massive degassing of the primitive parent bodies that built our planet as well as a late addition from comets that collided with its surface. The extraordinary physico–chemical properties of the water molecule combined with its abundance and distribution over the Earth’s surface have contributed to regulating the global climate and favoring the evolution of species for more than 4 billion years. The early emergence of life in the deep ocean and its further diversification were closely linked to the global water cycle whose dynamics result from the energy balance between solar radiation and the internal heat flux of the Earth. INDICE: 1) Water: a molecule endowed with extraordinary physico–chemical properties a. Molecular geometry and electrical properties b. Phase diagram c. Thermodynamic properties d. Optical properties e. Synthesis and electrolysis 2) Theories about the origin of water on Earth a. Comets b. Carbonaceous chondrites 3) The main water reservoirs on Earth and their chemical composition a. Oceans b. Ice caps and glaciers c. Groundwaters d. Lakes e. Rivers 4) Water and plate tectonics a. Subduction and volcanic activity b. Continental growth c. Hydrothermal activity d. Water in the Earth’s mantle e. Why are oceans salty? 5) Water and the origin of life a. Ionic transport and cell functioning b. Water and metabolism c. Life in the deep ocean 6) Water cycle and climate a. Water: a trap for the atmospheric carbon dioxide b. Humid air masses and heat transport c. Oceanic currents and climate regulation d. Soil moisture and evapotranspiration 7) Stable isotope tracking of the water cycling and climates of the past a. Principles of fractionation of stable isotopes b. The isotopic memory of fossils c. Water trapped in minerals d. A brief history of the Earth’s climate
- ISBN: 978-1-84821-477-4
- Editorial: ISTE Ltd.
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 272
- Fecha Publicación: 01/01/2014
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés