How much of the Earth's water is stored in glaciers?
About 2.1% of all of Earth's water is frozen in glaciers.
- 97.2% is in the oceans and inland seas
- 2.1% is in glaciers
- 0.6% is in groundwater and soil moisture
- less than 1% is in the atmosphere
- less than 1% is in lakes and rivers
- less than 1% is in all living plants and animals.
About three-quarters of Earth's freshwater is stored in glaciers. Therefore, glacier ice is the second largest reservoir of water on Earth and the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth!
Learn more: USGS Water Science School -How Much Water is there on Earth?
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The distribution of water on, in, and above the Earth
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...Outlet glacier from Iceland's Vatnajökull Ice Cap.
Glacier Animation
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...Serpentine Glacier
Serpentine Glacier, Harriman Fiord, western Prince William Sound, AK.
Bear Glacier
Oblique aerial photograph that shows the terminus of Bear Glacier, Kenai Mountains, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.
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...Muir Glacier in Glacier Bay National Monument 2004
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...ASTER Image of Gangotri Glacier
Sept 9, 2001 ASTER image showing the position of the terminus of Gangotri Glacier, India, between 1780 and 2001. Image from Jesse Allen, NASA's Earth Observatory. Glacier retreat boundaries courtesy of the U.S. Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center