Discover how much of our planet is covered by water and how it is divided between oceans, rivers, lakes and glaciers
If the “pale blue dot” that is our planet is of this color, it is due to the percentage of its surface that is covered by water. Although the Earth has that name, the oceans occupy most of the globe. But how much exactly?
The answer is that 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water and 96.5% of that amount is in the oceans. The other 3.5% is divided between lakes, rivers, underground basins and even less evident forms, such as in different physical states: in the ice that covers the poles and mountains and in the vapor present in the atmosphere. Furthermore, a small amount of water is also present in all life forms.
How is water divided on the planet
While the vast majority of water on Earth is found in the ocean, the small amount of fresh water that remains is largely sheltered in the oceans. glaciers and polar ice caps (68.7%) and underground aquifers (30.1%). Rivers and lakes represent only 0.27% of available fresh water and the atmosphere only 0.04% of the total.
If all of this water vapor fell at once, it would form a layer just an inch high. Life forms are home to about 0.003% of the world’s fresh water, which may sound small, but it’s half the volume available in rivers. It is important to note that all of these values are approximate, if added they will not add up to 100%.
And if the coverage of the oceans today is close to 70%, studies indicate that, in the past, the Earth was already completely covered by them. In the environment of young earth, some of the water in the oceans had its hydrogen and oxygen atoms separate. This allowed some of the hydrogen to escape into space, which ended up being reduced, over millions of years, to a quarter of the mass of the oceans.
Also, during the ice agesthe oceans were once up to 120 meters below their present level, as some of the water was in a solid state, covering the continents.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
