{"id":10847,"date":"2022-04-15T08:52:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T07:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/?p=10847"},"modified":"2023-03-30T11:03:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T10:03:37","slug":"how-much-water-is-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petpedia.co\/blog\/how-much-water-is-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Water is on Earth and Other Intriguing Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered <\/span>how much water is on Earth<\/span>? How much water is not on the surface, and how much of it is actually drinkable?<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll share these and similar <\/span>facts about water<\/span> with you below<\/span>. Let\u2019s dive in!<\/span><\/p>\n

How Much Water is on Earth?<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to NASA, the<\/span> percentage of land and water on Earth<\/span> is approximately 25% and 75%, though some sources claim the percentage of water is closer to 71%<\/span>. The total volume of the world’s water is 332.5 million cubic miles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the years, the total mass of water doesn\u2019t change. Still, the amount of available freshwater decreased, and currently, 1 in 10 people in the world lack drinkable water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(USGS.gov, 2019, Water.org, 2021, NASA, 2010)<\/span><\/p>\n

There are <\/span>about 3<\/span>26 quintillion gall<\/span>ons of <\/span>water in the world.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(USGS.gov, 2019, EarthHow, 2022, WaterServicesSite, 2022)<\/span><\/p>\n

If you con<\/span>vert them to<\/span> liters, you\u2019ll ge<\/span>t 1,233.91 quintillion.<\/span> Interestingly, <\/span>96.64% of that water is concentrated in the seas, oceans, and bays<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of that, it\u2019s interesting to know that the total <\/span>amount of water on Earth<\/span> stays the same at all times, only the form changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only 3% of all <\/span>water on Earth<\/span> is fresh and drinkable.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(US Bureau of Reclamation, 2020, WorldBank, 2019)<\/span><\/p>\n

Around 97%<\/span> of<\/span> the <\/span>water on Earth<\/span> is considered salty, while the drinkable and <\/span>freshwater percent<\/span> is only about 3%<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, 79% of <\/span>that freshwater<\/span> i<\/span>s trapped inside glaciers and ice caps. Moreover, 20% of our freshwater is stored underground. This leaves us with less than 1% of accessible fresh water on Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this small number, <\/span>80% of the world\u2019s wastewater is released back into the environment<\/span><\/a>, further polluting the little freshwater we do have.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are 321 million cubic miles of water in the world\u2019s oceans.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(NOAA National Service Agency, 2021, Lisbdnet.2021)<\/span><\/p>\n

According to NOAA, more than <\/span>70 percent of the Earth is covered by oceans.<\/span> For illustration, only the <\/span>Pacific Ocean covers more than 63 million square miles<\/span><\/a> or more than 187 quintillion gallons of water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are four main theories about the <\/span>formation of water <\/span>on Earth.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(Harvard, 2021, Harvard, 2021, NOAA\u2019s National Service, 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>history of water<\/span> is shrouded in mystery, and that\u2019s why scientists developed 4<\/span> hypotheses \u2014 volcanic activities, extraplanetary sources, hydration of minerals, and planetary cooling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of them suggests that the water may have been here 3 to 4 billion years ago, and oceans, or more precisely, the world’s basin, formed approximately 3,8 billion years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By 2025, almost 1.8 billion people will live in areas suffering from absolute freshwater scarcity.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(ScienceDaily, 2014, UNWater, 2018)<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, scientists say that by 2040, the whole world will experience an extreme shortage of fresh water and water needed to produce energy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The thing is, power plants need water for cooling and thus, are the biggest water consumers. So, if no changes are made, soon, there won\u2019t be enough water for both consumption and electricity production.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are <\/span>\u00a04 major water storages on Earth.<\/span><\/h3>\n

(Tutor2u.net, 2021, USGS.gov, 2018, USBR.gov, 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>distribution of water<\/span> on Earth happens in 4 main reservoirs:<\/span><\/p>\n