Activity: All the Water on Earth
DID YOU KNOW….?
- Earth is called the water planet
- Between two-thirds (2/3) and three-fourths (3/4) of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
- The earth has different types of water:
Oc
eans
97.2% of total water
Ice caps/glaciers
2.38%
Ground water
0.397%
Surface water
(e.g., lakes, rivers, streams, ponds) 0.022%
Atmosphere
0.001%
Add up the percentages for water available for drinking.
Ground water
_____________
Surface water
_____________
Total _____________
Add ice caps/glaciers
_____________
Grand Total _____________
Remember:
Only a small percentage of water is fit for humans to drink. Not all of the water in lakes and rivers or in the ground are clean enough to drink or easily accessible. Ice caps and glaciers are mostly inaccessible for humans, plants and animals use. Some efforts are being made to take the salt out of ocean water, but that is a very expensive project.
