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Chapter 6: Problem 1

About how much of Earth's surface is covered with water, and how much of that water is freshwater that is accessible to humans?

Short Answer

Expert verified
About 71% of Earth's surface is covered with water. Out of this water, only 2.5% is freshwater, and only a small portion, 0.0075%, is accessible freshwater available to humans.

Step by step solution

01

Determine the Percentage of Earth's Surface Covered by Water

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), water covers approximately 71% of Earth's surface. This includes both saltwater (like the oceans) and freshwater (such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater). So, about 71% of Earth's surface is covered with water.
02

Determine the Ratio of Freshwater to Total Water on Earth

Based on USGS data, only about 2.5% of the Earth's total water is freshwater. Most of this freshwater is in glaciers, ice caps, or other forms that are inaccessible to humans. Therefore, we need to find out how much of this 2.5% is accessible freshwater.
03

Determine the Percentage of Accessible Freshwater

According to the USGS, only about 0.3% of the total freshwater is readily accessible to humans in the form of rivers, lakes, and groundwater. To find the percentage of accessible freshwater from the total water on Earth, we can calculate as follows: \[ \frac{0.3 \% \text{ (accessible freshwater)}}{100 \% \text{ (total freshwater)}} \times 2.5 \% \text{ (total water on Earth)} = 0.0075 \% \text{ (accessible freshwater)} \]
04

Present the Results

Based on the information and calculations, we can conclude that about 71% of Earth's surface is covered with water. Out of this water, only 2.5% is freshwater, and a tiny portion - 0.0075% - is accessible freshwater available to humans.

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