Where in the World is the Water?

Distribution of Earth’s water by type and form. (World Bank Graphic)

Water is the defining feature of this planet and fundamental to life as we know it. Most everyone knows that. Of course my special focus is the rise of sea level, primarily as a result of the ice on land melting. Though familiar with many facts and statistics, I found the above graphic showing the forms of water to be fascinating:

  • Saltwater and Freshwater: Only 2.5% is freshwater
  • The forms of freshwater: 79% is frozen, 20% is groundwater, and just 1% is liquid.
  • Liquid freshwater is mostly in lakes and soils, then water vapor, with just a tiny fraction in living organisms.

I thought it worth sharing, particularly timely as those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are in the peak of summer heat, mindful of our need to stay hydrated.

Perhaps it’s also a moment to remind ourselves of the need to conserve and protect our precious freshwater resources.

Cheers!

P.S. – Since this was originally published, a reader thoughtfully suggested a better visualization for the volumes of total water and freshwater, shown here.

 

 

By John Englander July 27, 2020 Sea Level Rise