What percentage of Earth's total water is fresh?
Only 2.5% of the 1.386 billion cubic kilometers of water on Earth is fresh. Freshwater accounts for nearly 1% of the total volume when including ice and snow.
Questions about Water distribution on Earth
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How much water do Earth's lakes hold in their basins?
Collectively Earth's lakes hold 199,000 cubic kilometers of water in their basins. Eighty-seven percent of liquid surface fresh water resides within these inland bodies.
Which ocean covers the largest area and holds the most water?
The Pacific Ocean covers 165.2 million square kilometers with a mean depth of 4,282 meters. Its volume reaches 707.6 million cubic kilometers making it the largest basin on Earth.
Where does groundwater account for 0.76% of Earth's total water volume?
Fresh groundwater accounts for 0.76% of Earth's total water volume. Groundwater storage is more shielded from evaporation than dams built in hot climates.
When did scientists find direct evidence of water deep inside Earth?
Direct evidence appeared in 2014 based on a hydrous ringwoodite sample inside a diamond from Juína Brazil. An estimated 1.5 to 11 times the amount of ocean water may be found hundreds of kilometers deep.