ShareWater Cycles - Storing Water
Earth is a water planet. More than 75 percent of the of Earth's surface is covered with water. Powered by the Sun and geothermal energy, Earth's water cycles from one source to another. Our human culture is centered around the use of water sources.
Earth's water resources are divided into various storage areas called reservoirs. The water reservoir table below indicates the fraction of Earth's water that is found in each of these reservoirs.
| Reservoirs | Percentages | Fraction |
| Oceans | 97% | 97/100 |
| Icecaps/Glaciers | 2% | 2/100 |
| Groundwater | .7% | .7/100 or 7/1000 |
| Atmosphere | .3% | .3/100 or 3/1000 |
| Freshwater lakes | .01% | .01/100 or 1/10,000 |
| Saline lakes and inland seas | .01% | .01/100 or 1/10,000 |
| Rivers | .001% | .001/100 or 1/100,000 |
Try It!
Use the data from the water reservoir table above to
create and label a pie chart with the proper reservoir names.
You may wish to view sample of what this pie chart should look like.
Extension:
Utah is the second driest state in the United States. It recieves an
average of 13 inches of precipitation each year. Utah's use and conservation
of these water sources has had and will have a major
influence on Utah's growth and development. The Utah Division Of Water
Resources has several excellent Internet
sources avalible. Use these sources to determine and explain the locations
of Utah's water reservoirs, and how Utah's water can be conserved.
