9/6/22, 7:21 PM All of Earth's water in a single sphere! | U.S.

Geological Survey

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

IMAGES
ILLUSTRATIONS

All of Earth's water in a single

sphere!
By Water Science School
JULY 16, 2019

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere 1/5
9/6/22, 7:21 PM All of Earth's water in a single sphere! | U.S. Geological Survey

Original
Thumbnail
Medium

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere 2/5
9/6/22, 7:21 PM All of Earth's water in a single sphere! | U.S. Geological Survey

Detailed Description
This image shows blue spheres representing relative amounts of Earth's water in
comparison to the size of the Earth. Are you surprised that these water spheres look so
small? They are only small in relation to the size of the Earth. These images attempt to
show three dimensions, so each sphere represents "volume." They show that in
comparison to the volume of the globe, the amount of water on the planet is very small.
Oceans account for only a "thin film" of water on the surface.

Spheres representing all of Earth's water, Earth's liquid fresh water, and water in lakes
and rivers

The largest sphere represents all of Earth's water. Its diameter is about 860 miles (the
distance from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Topeka, Kansas) and has a volume of about
332,500,000 cubic miles (mi3) (1,386,000,000 cubic kilometers (km3)). This sphere
includes all of the water in the oceans, ice caps, lakes, rivers, groundwater, atmospheric
water, and even the water in you, your dog, and your tomato plant.

Liquid fresh water

How much of the total water is fresh water, which people and many other life forms
need to survive? The blue sphere over Kentucky represents the world's liquid fresh water
(groundwater, lakes, swamp water, and rivers). The volume comes to about 2,551,100
mi3 (10,633,450 km3), of which 99 percent is groundwater, much of which is not
accessible to humans. The diameter of this sphere is about 169.5 miles (272.8
kilometers).

Water in lakes and rivers

Do you notice the "tiny" bubble over Atlanta, Georgia? That one represents fresh water
in all the lakes and rivers on the planet. Most of the water people and life of earth need
every day comes from these surface-water sources. The volume of this sphere is about
22,339 mi3 (93,113 km3). The diameter of this sphere is about 34.9 miles (56.2
kilometers). Yes, Lake Michigan looks way bigger than this sphere, but you have to try to

imagine a bubble almost 35 miles high—whereas the average depth of Lake Michigan is
less than 300 feet (91 meters).

► Find out more:

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere 3/5
9/6/22, 7:21 PM All of Earth's water in a single sphere! | U.S. Geological Survey

How much water is there on Earth?

Where is Earth's water?

The water cycle

Sources/Usage
Public Domain.

How much water is on Earth?

Credits
Howard Perlman, Hydrologist, USGS, Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, Adam Nieman, Igor Shiklamonov

Explore Search
Water

Planetary Science

Ocean

water on earth

water basics

View All 

SCIENCE

PRODUCTS
https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere 4/5
9/6/22, 7:21 PM All of Earth's water in a single sphere! | U.S. Geological Survey

NEWS

CONNECT

ABOUT

LEGAL

U.S. Department of the Interior

Contact USGS
1-888-ASK-USGS
answers.usgs.gov

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/all-earths-water-a-single-sphere 5/5