Watery Earth Lesson 5

1. Do people really struggle to find clean drinking water?
2. What percentage of water is salt and what percentage is fresh?
3. Of the 4 kinds of fresh water, what percentage of all freshwater does each make up?
   

1. Many millions of people have to settle for bad drinking water every day. 783 million people don't have any water at all. We are lucky enough to border Lake Michigan, so we don't suffer. There is a real problem, and we are the spoiled brats that get what everyone desires.
2. My guess is that 20% of all water is salt water, and 80% is fresh water.
3. I predict water in the air makes up 60%, ground water makes up 20%, surface water makes up 15%, and ice makes up 5% of all fresh water.
   

Salt Water 97.239%
Fresh Water 2.761%
Water in air 0.001%
Surface Water 0.01%
Ground Water 0.61%
Ice 2.14%


I was so surprised how much was salt water, even though I probably have it in a note somewhere. Some things never cease to amaze. I was also surprised how little water is in the air. Every day, as I look at the forecast, I see percentages in the 50%-60% range. I wonder what those numbers are out of. Or better yet, how much of the world's water is just in our local air every day.