How much ocean covers the earth

This includes a significance presence of water. These meteorites are dated to the same epoch in which water was believed to have formed on Earth — some 11 million years after the formation of the Solar System.

In short, it now appears that meteorites were depositing water on Earth in its earliest days. While not ruling out the possibility that some of the water that covers 71 percent of Earth today may have arrived later, these findings suggest that there was enough already here for life to have begun earlier than thought.

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Share Twit Share Email. Home Earth Earth Sciences. Earth — Western Hemisphere. Many theories about the origins of water on Earth attribute it to collisions with comets and asteroids. More information: water. Source: Universe Today. Citation : What percent of Earth is water? This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? Read on to find out. Spheres showing : 1 All water largest sphere over western U.

About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about Water also exists in the air as water vapor , in rivers and lakes , in icecaps and glaciers , in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers , and even in you and your dog. Water is never sitting still. Thanks to the water cycle , our planet's water supply is constantly moving from one place to another and from one form to another. Things would get pretty stale without the water cycle! The globe illustration shows blue spheres representing relative amounts of Earth's water in comparison to the size of the Earth.

Are you surprised that these water spheres look so small? They are only small in relation to the size of the Earth. This image attempts to show three dimensions, so each sphere represents "volume. The smaller sphere over Kentucky represents Earth's liquid fresh water in groundwater, swamp water, rivers, and lakes. The volume of this sphere would be about 2,, mi 3 10,, km 3 and form a sphere about Yes, all of this water is fresh water, which we all need every day, but much of it is deep in the ground, unavailable to humans.

Do you notice the "tiny" bubble over Atlanta, Georgia? That one represents fresh water in all the lakes and rivers on the planet. Most of the water people and life on earth need every day comes from these surface-water sources. The volume of this sphere is about 22, mi 3 93, km 3. The diameter of this sphere is about Yes, Lake Michigan looks way bigger than this sphere, but you have to try to imagine a bubble almost 35 miles high—whereas the average depth of Lake Michigan is less than feet 91 meters.

The vast majority of water on the Earth's surface, over 96 percent, is saline water in the oceans. The freshwater resources, such as water falling from the skies and moving into streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater, provide people with the water they need every day to live.

Water sitting on the surface of the Earth is easy to visualize, and your view of the water cycle might be that rainfall fills up the rivers and lakes. But, the unseen water below our feet is critically important to life, also.

How do you account for the flow in rivers after weeks without rain?