How much of Earth's water is left?

Earth has a vast amount of water (around 1.386 billion km³), but nearly all of it (97%) is salty ocean water; of the tiny freshwater portion (about 3%), most (~2.5%) is locked in ice caps/glaciers or deep underground, leaving less than 1% of Earth's total water as easily accessible fresh water in rivers, lakes, and shallow groundwater, a crucial resource for human life and ecosystems, despite its scarcity compared to the whole planet.

How many years of drinking water are left?

Unless water use is drastically reduced, severe water shortage will affect the entire planet by 2040. "There will be no water by 2040 if we keep doing what we're doing today". - Professor Benjamin Sovacool, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Is the ocean still 5% explored?

The ocean is the largest unexplored place on Earth—less than 5 percent of it has been explored. Remotely operated vehicles allow scientists to explore ocean depths that are inaccessible to SCUBA divers (Fig. 1.8). Ocean exploration relies on teams of science researchers across the globe.

Will we run out of water by 2030?

By 2030, demand could outpace supply by 56%. Less than 1% of the world's water is usable fresh water. The AI boom is adding unprecedented pressure on resources.

Are we drinking the same water as dinosaurs?

Yes, you are likely drinking the same water molecules that dinosaurs drank because Earth's water is continuously recycled through the water cycle (evaporation, rain, rivers), with the same water present for billions of years, meaning some molecules in your glass have passed through dinosaurs, plants, and ancient creatures. While water molecules can break apart and reform, the vast number of molecules means there's a high probability of sharing water with ancient life, even after being filtered or treated. 

How Much Water Is on Earth?

How old is the water we drink?

The water you drink is ancient, with some molecules forming over 4.5 billion years ago during the solar system's creation, even predating the Earth and Sun, having arrived via comets and meteorites, while other water is much younger, cycling through rivers, glaciers, and aquifers on much shorter timescales. So, a single glass contains a mix: ancient cosmic water and recently cycled Earth water, making it a truly timeless drink.
 

How did alligators survive but dinosaurs didn't?

Alligators (and their crocodilian relatives) survived the dinosaur extinction due to their ectothermic (cold-blooded) nature, allowing for incredibly slow metabolisms and long periods without food, plus their amphibious lifestyle in water where impacts had less immediate effect, and their dietary flexibility, letting them scavenge or eat varied small prey when large food sources vanished, unlike high-metabolism dinosaurs.
 

How much longer will Earth be livable?

Earth will remain habitable for complex life for at least another 1.5 to 3 billion years, but the Sun's increasing luminosity will eventually cause oceans to evaporate and trigger a runaway greenhouse effect, making it too hot for life as we know it by then, with the final end coming much later as the Sun becomes a red giant, potentially engulfing Earth in about 7.5 billion years. Our own human-caused climate change is accelerating this process, making conditions difficult much sooner.
 

Is ocean water drinkable if boiled?

No, you cannot drink ocean water just by boiling it; boiling kills germs but concentrates the salt, making it even more dangerous and causing severe dehydration, but you can get safe drinking water through distillation, where you boil the water and collect the condensed steam, leaving the salt behind. Drinking the boiled, salty liquid will harm your kidneys as your body uses fresh water to flush out the excess salt, making you more dehydrated, not less. 

Which country is at risk of sinking?

The Maldives

It was a Portuguese, Dutch and British colony, and gained independence in 1965. The current sea level riseopens in a new tab is the main threat to this country, which is among the lowest in the world with a point of maximum height of 2.3 meters and the lowest average altitude of the world: just 1.5 meters.

What does God say about the ocean?

God speaks about the ocean as His creation, a symbol of His immense power and authority, a source of life (creatures), a boundary He controls (Jeremiah 5:22), and a place for both judgment (Flood) and salvation (Red Sea), demonstrating His mastery over chaos and nature, as seen in Genesis, Job, and the Psalms. 

What did NASA find at the bottom of the ocean?

NASA's underwater discoveries focus on using space tech (like satellites and rovers) to map the ocean floor, find analogs for alien life on ocean worlds (like Europa), and develop deep-sea robots, revealing thousands of hidden seamounts, vast microbial ecosystems in basalt, and new volcanic activity, all while studying deep-sea resources and supporting missions like SWOT for better seafloor imaging, revealing a mysterious, life-filled deep ocean vital for Earth's climate.
 

What covers 70% of the world?

The ocean covers approximately 70% of Earth's surface. It's the largest livable space on our planet, and there's more life there than anywhere else on Earth.

Is water older than dinosaurs?

Scientists have found water trapped in minerals deep within the Earth's mantle and crust, he explained. This water is even older than dinosaurs. It doesn't look like liquid water that's in your glass, but it still made of the same stuff.

Can you drink 20 year old bottled water?

If the bottle is well sealed, not exposed to direct sunlight, and the temperature is stable, even if it is kept for 20 years, the water is still safe to drink. However, whether the water is drinkable or not, and what the quality is like, depends very much on the container in which the water is stored.

What covers 75% of the Earth?

The ocean covers 75% of the Earth's surface, holds 97% of its water and produces 50% of the oxygen we breathe. A healthy ocean is vital for people and planet. Yet, overfishing, pollution, climate change, waste and other threats are pushing our seas to the brink.

Why shouldn't you boil tap water?

Boiling water can only remove solids and bacteria, meaning it will not remove harmful substances such as chlorine and lead from tap water. Furthermore, boiling tap water with lead actually concentrates this contaminant making it more dangerous than if left alone.

Can you turn salt water into drinking water?

Yes, you can turn saltwater into drinking water through a process called desalination, with the main methods being distillation (boiling and condensing) for small-scale survival or large-scale plants, and reverse osmosis (filtering through membranes) for industrial use, but both are energy-intensive and costly, making it challenging for everyday large-scale use despite its necessity in dry regions. 

Why can't we drink 97% of the water on Earth?

Over 97 percent of the earth's water is found in the oceans as salt water. Two percent of the earth's water is stored as fresh water in glaciers, ice caps, and snowy mountain ranges. That leaves only one percent of the earth's water available to us for our daily water supply needs.

Will humans be alive in 3000?

Yes, it's highly likely humans will still exist in the year 3000, though they'll likely be vastly different due to technological and environmental changes, with many experts predicting humanity will have spread beyond Earth, making extinction highly improbable, despite risks like climate change or pandemics. 

Does the Bible say the world is 7000 years old?

Commentary. The scriptures are very clear that the earth has a temporal or mortal existence of 7000 years. John the Revelator saw by revelation the history of this earth. This history was divided into 1000 year increments or seven seals.

Why is 2030 the point of no return?

Points of no return

Current warming, likely to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times by around 2030, has already pushed coral reefs past their limit. Unless things change, warming is likely to reach about 3 degrees Celsius within decades.

Who has the closest DNA to dinosaurs?

Chickens are considered the closest living relatives of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the most fearsome dinosaurs that ever lived. This connection is based on evolutionary biology and molecular studies. Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, a group that includes T. rex.

Do crocodiles mourn dead crocodiles?

While crocodiles don't mourn their dead in the way humans do, they do exhibit behaviors that suggest they have a sense of loss or attachment to their young. For example, mothers have been observed carrying their dead offspring in their mouths.

How did sharks survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?

Sharks survived the dinosaur extinction due to their incredible adaptability, diverse habitats (deep sea refuges), varied diets, and resilience to changing ocean conditions like low oxygen, allowing them to exploit different food sources and environments when specialized predators died out, a key factor was niche partitioning and opportunistic eating, unlike more specialized marine reptiles.