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You are here: Home / Geography / How Much of All the Water On the Earth Is In the Oceans and How Much Water In the World Is Freshwater?

How Much of All the Water On the Earth Is In the Oceans and How Much Water In the World Is Freshwater?

July 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

More than 97 percent of the earth’s water is salty sea water.

The ocean has a salinity of about 35 parts per thousand (ppt), or 3.5%.

All of the earth’s freshwater, water found in ice caps, lakes, rivers, and as groundwater, which is water found close to the surface, in wells and aquifers, accounts for the remaining 3 percent.

It is a common misconception is that the ocean is blue because the sky is blue.

In fact, the main reason why the ocean is blue is because water absorbs red light from the sun, and the very slight blue color we see in water can only be seen in large volumes.

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  • Why Does Sea Water Appear Blue and Is Sea Water Blue Because It Is Reflecting the Color Of the Sky?
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Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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