Water Distribution on Earth

How water is distributed on Earth, the water cycle, and freshwater sources. Class 7 Science with quiz.

Class 7 ScienceClass 7 / Grade 7Ages 9–12
Lesson
🌊 Water Distribution on Earth
Earth has water — but 97% is too salty to drink!All Earth's water97%salt water3%Freshwater (3%)~2.1% → glaciers & ice caps~0.6% → groundwater~0.3% → rivers & lakestiny % → atmospheremost is FROZEN!

Water covers about seventy-one percent of Earth's surface, earning our planet the name 'the blue planet'. However, about ninety-seven percent of all water is saltwater in the oceans, which is unfit for drinking, agriculture, or most industrial use. Of the remaining three percent that is fresh, more than two thirds is locked up in glaciers and polar ice caps. Only about one percent of all water on Earth is available as liquid freshwater in rivers, lakes, and groundwater. This tiny fraction supports all human, animal, and plant life on land.

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