InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Water Science and Society > Student Materials > Section 1: Fresh Water: Scarcity or Surfeit? > Module 2: Climatology of Water > Summary and Final Tasks
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
showLearn More
These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »
show Download
The student materials are available for offline viewing below. Downloadable versions of the instructor materials are available from this location on the instructor materials pages. Learn more about using the different versions of InTeGrate materials »

Download a PDF of all web pages for the student materials

Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the student materials

For the Instructor

These student materials complement the Water Science and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.
Initial Publication Date: March 31, 2017

Summary and Final Tasks

The material in Module 2 has, we hope, led you to a better understanding of the distribution of water at the Earth's surface and the processes that influence that distribution. Ultimately, much of the water that falls as precipitation on land has evaporated from the ocean surface and rains out because of processes (topographic relief, interactions with another air mass) that cause a moisture-laden air mass to rise and cool. You can now predict where areas of higher precipitation occur, as well as explaining the origin of desert regions, and you can explain the coupling of energy and water in Earth's climate system. A general understanding of Earth's climate zones and prevailing wind systems is necessary background for the modules that follow. We next consider the fate of precipitation and the origin and behavior of river systems (Module 3) that eventually return some of the water (about 30%) that falls on landmasses to the ocean.

Reminder - Complete all of the Module 2 tasks!

You have reached the end of Module 2! Double-check the to-do list on the Module 2 Roadmap to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before moving onto Module 3!

References and Further Reading

The Big Thirst Chapter 3


These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »