Chapter 2: Problem 6

What is the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth? From studies of the hypsometric curve, approximately what proportion of the Earth's surface lies at elevations above \(2 \mathrm{~km}\) ?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The proportion of land area to sea area on Earth is approximately 0.412 or 41.2%. From studies of the hypsometric curve, it has been estimated that approximately 27% of the Earth's land surface lies at elevations above 2 km. Therefore, around 11.1% of the Earth's total surface area lies at elevations above 2 km.

Step by step solution

Find the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth

To find the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth, we need to know the total surface area of the Earth, the surface area of the land, and the surface area of the sea. The Earth's total surface area is approximately \(510.1 \times 10^6 \mathrm{~km}^2\), with approximately \(148.94 \times 10^6 \mathrm{~km}^2\) of land and \(361.16 \times 10^6 \mathrm{~km}^2\) of sea. Now, we can find the proportion of land area to sea area by dividing the land area by the sea area: \[ \frac{\text{Land Area}}{\text{Sea Area}} = \frac{148.94 \times 10^6}{361.16 \times 10^6} \]

Calculate the proportion

Now we can calculate the proportion of land area to sea area: \[ \frac{148.94 \times 10^6}{361.16 \times 10^6} \approx 0.412 \] This means that the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth is approximately 0.412 or 41.2%.

Use the hypsometric curve to find the proportion of Earth's surface at elevations above 2 km

The hypsometric curve is a cumulative frequency distribution that describes the distribution of elevations on Earth. It is represented as a graph showing the percentage of Earth's surface above a certain elevation. From studies of the hypsometric curve, it has been estimated that approximately 27% of the Earth's land surface lies at elevations above 2 km.

Calculate the proportion of Earth's surface above 2 km

Now that we know the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth and the percentage of Earth's land surface at elevations above 2 km, we can calculate the proportion of Earth's total surface that lies at elevations above 2 km. To do this, we multiply the proportion of land area to sea area by the percentage of Earth's land surface above 2 km. \[ \text{Proportion of Earth's surface above 2 km} = 0.412 \times 0.27 \]

Find the answer

Now we can find the proportion of Earth's surface above 2 km: \[ 0.412 \times 0.27 \approx 0.111 \] This means that approximately 11.1% of the Earth's surface lies at elevations above 2 km.

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What is the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth? From studies of the hypsometric curve, approximately what proportion of the Earth's surface lies at elevations above \(2 \mathrm{~km}\) ?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Find the proportion of land area to sea area on Earth

Calculate the proportion

Use the hypsometric curve to find the proportion of Earth's surface at elevations above 2 km

Calculate the proportion of Earth's surface above 2 km

Find the answer

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