Distribution of Freshwater and Saltwater How is Earths

Distribution of Freshwater and Saltwater

How is Earth’s water distributed among saltwater and freshwater • Earth is known as the “blue planet” because over 70% of Earth’s surface is covered with water. • Most of Earth’s freshwater is found in the polar ice caps near the North and South Poles. • From largest to smallest, the amounts of water on Earth are salt water (97%), solid fresh water (2%), liquid fresh water (1%).

How is Earth’s water distributed among saltwater and freshwater • From largest to smallest, the amounts of water on Earth are salt water (97%), solid fresh water (2%), liquid fresh water (1%).

Salt Water • Most of the water on Earth is found in Earth’s oceans • Oceans contain salt water. • In order of size from largest to smallest, Earth’s oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

Fresh Water • Most of the Earth’s freshwater is located in the polar caps (ice). • Underground water, lakes, rivers, and glaciers hold the rest of Earth’s surface freshwater. • The largest portion of the Earth’s liquid freshwater is trapped between underground layers of rock. This trapped freshwater is called groundwater. • A glacier is a very slow moving river of ice.

Distribution of Water on Earth • Saltwater oceans and (salt) lakes (97%) • Freshwater (3%) – Of the total Freshwater on Earth: 76% of freshwater is ice – 12% of freshwater is Shallow Groundwater – 11% of freshwater is Deep Groundwater – 0. 34% of freshwater is found in Lakes and Rivers – 0. 037% of freshwater is Water Vapor • All living things share less than 1% of total water on Earth!

Groundwater