The Hydrosphere Water on the Planet

The Distribution of Water Water is the major life force in this planet. Not only does it support life with its unique properties, but it is also the main reason why our planet is able to absorb and retain heat form the sun.

The Distribution of Water 70% of our planet’s surface is covered by water in the form of oceans The remaining 30% is in the form of land and ice caps

The Distribution of Water Water Store Percentage Rate of renewal Oceans 97.134 3,100 years Atmosphere 0.001 9 - 12 days Ice sheets and glaciers 2.240 16,000 years Groundwater 0.606 1 - 4,600 years Lakes 0.009 10 - 100 years Soil moisture 0.003 280 days Rivers 0.0001 12 - 20 days

The Distribution of Water Note that even though the oceans store the most amount of water, it takes over 3000 years for this water to recycle itself completely. In contrast, that atmosphere is the most active recycling the water in it every 9 – 12 days. Interestingly enough, if one totaled up all the water the atmosphere recycles in 3100 years, one would get the volume of the water stored in the oceans.

The Distribution of Water Fresh water makes up less than 3% of the world’s water store. Ice caps followed by ground water are the planets largest stores of fresh water.

Water Budget