Where is freshwater located

Here is a bar chart showing where all water on, in, and above the Earth exists. The left-side bar chart shows how almost all of Earth's water is saline and is found in the oceans.

Of the small amount that is actually freshwater, only a relatively small portion is available to sustain human, plant, and animal life. Notice how of the world's total water supply of about And, of the total freshwater, over 68 percent is locked up in ice and glaciers. Another 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground. Yet, rivers and lakes are the sources of most of the water people use everyday. One estimate of global water distribution Percents are rounded, so will not add to The Earth is a watery place.

But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? Read on to find out. Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth.

Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years. A huge amount of water exists in the ground below your feet, and people all over the world make great use of it.

But it is only found in usable quantities in certain places underground — aquifers. Read on to understand the concepts of aquifers and how water exists in the ground. The atmosphere is the superhighway in the sky that moves water everywhere over the Earth. Water at the Earth's surface evaporates into water vapor which rises up into the sky to become part of a cloud which will float off with the winds, eventually releasing water back to Earth as precipitation.

Ice and glaciers are part of the water cycle, even though the water in them moves very slowly. Ice caps influence the weather, too. The color white reflects sunlight heat more than darker colors, and as ice is so white, sunlight is reflected back out to the sky, which helps to create weather patterns. Read on to learn how glaciers and ice caps are part of the water cycle. Our interactive diagrams allow you to "mouse around" the parts of the water cycle and view explanations, pictures, and more.

The ground stores huge amounts of water and it exists to some degree no matter where on Earth you are. Lucky for people, in many places the water exists in quantities and at depths that wells can be drilled into the water-bearing aquifers and withdrawn to server the many needs people have.

Freshwater on the land surface is a vital part of the water cycle for everyday human life. On the landscape, freshwater is stored in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and creeks and streams. Most of the water people use everyday comes from these sources of water on the land surface. Not only do the oceans provide evaporated water to the water cycle, they also allow water to move all around the globe as ocean currents.

Oceans are the storehouses of water nature uses to run the water cycle. Glaciers are a big item when we talk about the world's water supply. Almost 10 percent of the world's land mass is currently covered with glaciers, mostly in places like Greenland and Antarctica. We use cookies to imporve your experience. By using our site, you consent to our cookie policy OK Learn more. Graphic Vital Water Graph Freshwater resources: volume by continent.

Unfortunately, most of these resources are located far from human habitation and are not readily accessible for human use. Groundwater is by far the most abundant and readily available source of freshwater, followed by lakes, reservoirs, rivers and wetlands. About 1. Many lakes, especially those in arid regions, become salty through evaporation, which concentrates the inflowing salts.

Rivers form a hydrologic mosaic, with an estimated international river basins covering Using this item and referring to it is encouraged, and please use it in presentations, web pages, newspapers, blogs and reports.

For any form of publication, please include the link to this page and give the creator credit in this case Philippe Rekacewicz, February If the high-resolution file is not available, please contact grid grida. View this Graphic on Flickr. Graphics included in same album View all media. A World of Salt. Benefits of marine and coastal ecosystems to human wellbeing. Biological oxygen demand - BOD: Coastal populations and shoreline degradation.

Coral reefs at risks. Damming the world. Dependency ratio in renewable water. Dissolved phosphate levels: concentrations at river mouths. Estimated Residence time of water resources.

Excessive withdrawal of renewable water resources. Fish diversity in freshwater systems. Fishing yield. An important first step is to educate ourselves and future generations of citizens. We can make better consumer, voter, and community member choices when we are informed about how we use resources, the ramifications of misuse, and solutions and actions to prevent fresh water issues.

This guide was developed to support teachers in teaching topics with real-world context, and provide them with the background to feel competent and comfortable when teaching about fresh water. It provides a solid introduction to fresh water in an accessible and reader-friendly manner.

In addition to general information about fresh water, the guide includes numerous education features, such as teaching tips and student thinking, that help to connect the content to classroom practice.