Tuesday, May 15, 2012

How much water is on Earth?

Illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (©) Howard Perlman, USGS


This image from the USGS shows the size of a sphere that would contain all of Earth's water in comparison to the size of the Earth. 

Wow, right?

Double wow when you consider that the sphere includes "all the water in the oceans, seas, ice caps, lakes and rivers as well as groundwater, atmospheric water, and even the water in you, your dog, and your tomato plant."

I shared this with my 4th grade water-loving-mermaid daughter, and she was distraught. "It looks like it might just disappear," she sighed.

I told her that the point of the picture is to illustrate how precious our water is. Treasure it, worship it, conserve it, but don't take it for granted. 

Who knows, I may just have the next Alexandra Cousteau in my midst ...

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