How much sea water is on earth

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Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. Marine ecosystems contain a diverse array of living organisms and abiotic processes. From massive marine mammals like whales to the tiny krill that form the bottom of the food chain, all life in the ocean is interconnected.

While the ocean seems vast and unending, it is, in fact, finite; as the climate continues to change, we are learning more about those limits. Explore these resources to teach students about marine organisms, their relationship with one another, and with their environment. Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala reviews general facts about each ocean within the one world ocean.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Where is Earth's Water? Learn more. The Water Cycle Learn more. Water Basics by Topic Learn more.

All Earth's water, liquid fresh water, and water in lakes and rivers. Learn more at the Water Science School. Related Water Science School pages:. Date published: June 6, Filter Total Items: 5. Year Select Year Apply Filter. Date published: November 6, Note: This section of the Water Science School Date published: September 20, Date published: September 25, Date published: June 8, Attribution: Water Resources.

Below are multimedia items associated with water basics. Filter Total Items: 4. List Grid. October 16, The Natural Water Cycle Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over April 10, Physical forces separate water of different temperatures with warm water rising and cold, denser water sinking.

Cold dense water travels along the seafloor. When exploring the deep waters of our oceans, ROV Hercules brings its own lighting system. Since , we have mapped over 96, square miles , square kilometers of the seafloor in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean which is 0. Thankfully many organizations are working toward the goal of a global ocean map. Measuring in at feet 68 meters , our exploration vessel can travel 13, nautical miles 24, kilometers at 10 knots on a fill-up and spend up to 40 consecutive days at sea.

Ocean Exploration Trust. How much water is in the ocean? How many animals are believed to live in the ocean? How many shipwrecks are in the ocean? How deep can ROV Hercules explore? How deep is the ocean?

How big is the ocean? This water is in a constant cycle — it evaporates from the ocean, travels through the air, rains down on the land and then flows back to the ocean. About 70 percent of the planet is covered in ocean, and the average depth of the ocean is about 12, feet 3, meters.

Ninety-eight percent of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt. Less than 3 percent of the planet's water is fresh, but about 1. Another 0. Only about 0.