Rocket holds up his colored strip from yesterday. "Most of the fresh water is white," he says. "Ice!"
"And the brown part is underground," Raven says. "Under our feet, in soil and rock."
Rocket squints at the tiny blue sliver at the end. "So all the lakes and rivers in the world fit in this?"
Nova enlarges the sliver into a glowing map of lakes and rivers. "That is what you can see on the surface," she says. "What do you notice about its size?"
"Tiny," Rocket says quietly. "We should take care of it."
A place where water is stored is called a reservoir.
Over 68 percent of Earth's fresh water is locked up in ice and glaciers.
About 30 percent of fresh water is in the ground. This is groundwater.
Only a little more than 1 percent of fresh water is surface water, like lakes and rivers.
| Fresh water reservoir | About how much of all fresh water |
|---|---|
| Ice and glaciers | Over 68 percent |
| Groundwater | About 30 percent |
| Surface water (lakes, rivers, swamps) | A little more than 1 percent |
Fresh water is stored in three main reservoirs.
Most of it is frozen in ice and glaciers.
Much of the rest is hidden underground. Only a little is in lakes and rivers.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A reservoir is a place where water is stored. | ? |
| Over 68 percent of fresh water is in ice and glaciers. | ? |
| Surface water is most of the fresh water on Earth. | ? |
| Groundwater is stored in soil and rock. | ? |
You can now describe where Earth's water lives. Tomorrow we will connect this to everyday life.