All the water in the world

Abstract

This does not mean we can use all of that water. Most of the Earth’s water (97%) is found in the ocean, which covers about 70% of the planet, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt. Another 2% of the Earth’s water is stored in glaciers, ice caps, and snowy mountain ranges. That leaves only 1% of all the water on Earth available to us for our daily needs. Our freshwater supplies are stored either in the soil (aquifers) or bedrock fractures beneath the ground (groundwater) or in lakes, rivers, and streams on the earth’s surface (surface water). The rest of the water on Earth is either floating in the air as clouds and water vapour, or is locked up in plants and animals. The human body is two-thirds water; this means if you weigh 30 kg you are carrying 20 litres or 80 cups of water inside you!

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