How much water is there in the world? Revealing the distribution and current status of Earth’s water resources
Water is the source of life. 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water, but most of it is salt water. Freshwater resources that can be directly used by humans are very limited. This article will combine hot topics and hot content in the past 10 days, use structured data to display the distribution of global water resources, and discuss the challenges faced by current water resources.
1. Overall distribution of water resources on earth
The total amount of water on the earth is about 1.386 billion cubic kilometers, but the distribution of this water is extremely uneven. The following is the classification statistics of global water resources:
| Water resources type | Proportion | Volume (cubic kilometers) |
|---|---|---|
| ocean salt water | 96.5% | 1,338,000,000 |
| glaciers and ice caps | 1.74% | 24,064,000 |
| groundwater | 1.7% | 23,400,000 |
| lakes and rivers | 0.013% | 190,000 |
| Atmospheric water vapor | 0.001% | 12,900 |
As can be seen from the table,Freshwater resources that can be directly used by humans only account for less than 3% of the earth’s total water., and most of them exist in the form of glaciers and groundwater.
2. Uneven distribution of global freshwater resources
The distribution of freshwater resources is extremely uneven. The following is the proportion of freshwater resources in major regions around the world:
| area | Proportion of fresh water resources | Water resources per capita (cubic meters/year) |
|---|---|---|
| south america | 28% | 45,000 |
| Asia | 36% | 3,920 |
| North America | 15% | 18,900 |
| africa | 9% | 4,700 |
| Europe | 7% | 9,300 |
Although Asia has 36% of the world's freshwater resources, due to its large population, the per capita water resources are much lower than other regions, causing many countries to face serious water shortage problems.
3. Hot topics related to global water resources in the past 10 days
1.Extreme climate exacerbates water crisis: Recently, parts of South Asia and Africa have suffered from severe drought, while heavy rains have caused floods in Europe and North America. Frequent extreme climate events have attracted global attention.
2.Glaciers melting faster: Scientists warn that the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting much faster than expected and could lead to rising sea levels and further reductions in fresh water resources.
3.Breakthrough in desalination technology: Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have recently announced investments in new desalination projects in an attempt to alleviate fresh water shortages.
4.Water pollution problem continues to worsen: Water pollution issues in the Ganges River in India and the Amazon River Basin in Brazil have once again become a hot topic, triggering concerns about global water security.
4. How to protect global water resources?
1.save water: Reduce waste and improve water resource utilization efficiency.
2.Protect water sources: Reduce industrial and domestic sewage discharge and prevent groundwater pollution.
3.Develop water-saving agriculture: Promote drip irrigation and smart irrigation technology to reduce agricultural water consumption.
4.strengthen international cooperation: Management of transnational rivers and groundwater requires global collaboration.
Although the total amount of water resources on the earth is huge, the fresh water available for human use is extremely limited. Facing the dual pressures of climate change and population growth, protecting water resources has become a common global challenge.
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