Fresh water makes up approximately what percent of Earth's total water?

Fresh water makes up approximately what percent of Earth's total water?

• A. 1 percent
• B. 3 percent
• C. 10 percent
• D. 30 percent

Answer: (B)

Freshwater is a small portion of all the water on Earth because the oceans hold the vast majority of the planet’s water in a salty form. When you add up all the freshwater found in ice and snow, in groundwater, and in lakes, rivers, and the atmosphere, it comes to roughly three percent of the total water. Most of that freshwater is locked up in glaciers and ice caps, with a large share also stored as groundwater, while only a small amount is present in rivers, lakes, and the air—water that humans can typically use directly. That’s why the approximate figure is three percent rather than one percent or ten or thirty percent.

Freshwater is a small portion of all the water on Earth because the oceans hold the vast majority of the planet’s water in a salty form. When you add up all the freshwater found in ice and snow, in groundwater, and in lakes, rivers, and the atmosphere, it comes to roughly three percent of the total water. Most of that freshwater is locked up in glaciers and ice caps, with a large share also stored as groundwater, while only a small amount is present in rivers, lakes, and the air—water that humans can typically use directly. That’s why the approximate figure is three percent rather than one percent or ten or thirty percent.