Chapter 17.1, Problem 1BYL

To determine

Summarization regarding the location where most of the Earth’s total water resides.

Answer to Problem 1BYL

The majority of water is present in the ocean. However, it is saline. Most of the fresh water is locked up in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers (69%), and groundwater (30%) beneath the surface. The lesser quantities occur in the streams, lakes, swamps, and other wetlands (11%). Some scientists believe that the Earth’s interior contains more water than the oceans. Minor quantities are present as atmospheric water (0.001%), soil moisture, and biological water (0.0001%).

Explanation of Solution

There is abundant quantity of water on the Earth that exists in various settings. The majority of the water is present in the oceans. However, it is saline. Most of the fresh water is present in snow and ice or in groundwater beneath the surface with a small quantity in wetlands, lakes, and streams.

Oceans—The Earth’s total inventory of near-surface and surface water estimates to about 96.5%, and it exists in the seas and oceans as saline water, whereas the rest 3.5% is fresh water present in glaciers, ice sheets, lakes, groundwater, swamps, and other features on the surface.

Streams—Streams are extremely important and are the principal sources of drinking water for several regions. However, they only consist of a very small quantity of the fresh water present in the Earth.

Lakes—Water on the surface of the Earth exists in the form of lakes of different sizes. Most of them are freshwater lakes, but those in dry climates are saline or brackish (between fresh and saline). Majority of the liquid fresh water in liquid form on the Earth’s surface occurs in lakes.

Swamps and other wetlands—These saturated areas are composed of water lying on the surface in shallow soil and water within the plants. They comprise approximately 11% of the liquid fresh water on the surface.

Atmosphere—The atmosphere contains a very small but an extremely important quantity (0.001%) of the Earth’s water. It occurs as water droplets in clouds, as water vapor, as snow, as rain, and as other kinds of precipitation.

Glaciers—Approximately 69% of the fresh water on the Earth is locked up as ice and snow in glaciers, ice caps, and permanent snow. A small quantity also occurs in ground ice and permafrost.

Soil moisture—The Earth’s soils are composed of almost the same amount of moisture as the atmosphere (not much). However, like atmospheric water, soil moisture is critical for survival.

Biological water—Water is locked up inside the cells and structures of flora and fauna. It is obviously important for living beings. However, it denotes an extremely small proportion of the total water of the Earth (0.0001%).

Groundwater—Nearly 30% of the total fresh water of the Earth exists as groundwater. The water existing in the open pores between sediment grains or within fractures in the rocks below the Earth’s surface is called groundwater. Most of the groundwater is fresh, but some are saline or brackish.

Deep-interior waters—An unknown, but perhaps huge quantity of water is chemically bound in the minerals of the mantle and crust. Some researchers assume that the Earth’s interior might contain more amount of water than the oceans.