Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
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Condensation
Returned to oceans
Evaporation in falling
Ocean
Infiltration
Lake
Groundwater to lakes
Groundwater to soil
Groundwater to rivers
Groundwater to oceans
Figure 13.10
The Hydrologic Cycle.
The hydrologic cycle shows water carried from the oceans and from
other water bodies over land, where precipitation, runoff, and evapotranspiration sustain the
system.
© E. H. Fouberg, A. B. Murphy, H. J. de Blij, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
River's important tributary, the Yarmuk (Fig. 13.12). As
the map shows, the Sea of Galilee forms a large fresh water
reservoir in the Jordan River Valley. This is the source of
most of Israel's water (desalinization facilities do not yet
contribute signifi cantly).
The water supply complicates the relationships
between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors in the West
Bank and Gaza. The aquifer beneath the West Bank yields
about 625 million cubic meters of water through hundreds
of wells linked together by a system of pipelines. Of this,
some 450 million cubic meters go directly to Israel; another
35 million are consumed by Israeli settlers on the West
Bank, and only some 140 million are allotted to the West
Bank's nearly 2 million Arabs.
This is unfair, say the Palestinian Arabs: if the West
Bank is to become an independent Palestinian territory, the
water below the surface should belong to the Palestinians.
But the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem depend heav-
ily on water from the West Bank, and Israel cannot survive
without this source.
The water issue will complicate any hoped-for
settlement of territorial disputes among Israel and its
neighbors. Israel might contemplate the return of most of
the Golan Heights to Syria, but about 30 percent of all
water reaching the Sea of Galilee comes from the Golan
Heights. Israel might support the establishment of an
independent state in the West Bank, but approximately
30 percent of Israel's water supply comes from the West
Bank aquifer. Any effort to negotiate a lasting peace in the
region will have to take these geographical circumstances
into account.
Atmosphere
Earth's
atmosphere
is a thin layer of air lying directly
above the lands and oceans. We depend on the atmo-
sphere for our survival: we breathe its oxygen; it shields
us from the destructive rays of the sun; it moderates tem-
peratures; and it carries moisture from the oceans over the
