Facts About the Water Around Us

The water cycle describes where water is on Earth and how it moves. Human water use, land use, and climate change all impact the water cycle. By understanding these impacts, we can work toward using water sustainably.

The Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? Read on to find out.

A huge amount of water exists in the ground below your feet, and people all over the world make great use of it. But it is only found in usable quantities in certain places underground — aquifers. Read on to understand the concepts of aquifers and how water exists in the ground.

The Earth is covered in water. We find it in the air, under the ground, in our bodies, and most noticeably on Earth's surface. With so much water around us we might begin to ask all the where, when, and why's about water.

I don't know anyone who is afraid to walk underneath a cumulus cloud because they are afraid it might fall on them. We don't think of clouds even having weight because they are floating. But, clouds are made up of a physical substance, water, and water is quite heavy, so clouds must have weight. We will explain this "paradox" to you if you read on.

Learn why water's chemical composition and physical attributes make it such an excellent solvent.

Learn how calculate how many gallons of rainwater fall during a storm.

When looking at the location of rivers and the amount of streamflow in rivers, the key concept is the river's "watershed". What is a watershed? Easy, if you are standing on ground right now, just look down. You're standing, and everyone is standing, in a watershed.

The oceans cover about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, and that about 97 percent of all water on and in the Earth is saline—there's a lot of salty water on our planet. Find out here how the water in the seas became salty.

Does water still feel wet in outer space? Does it float or does it fall? With a little help from our friends at NASA we will help you understand exactly how water behaves in outer space. Continue reading to learn more.

Water is everywhere, from huge oceans to invisible water molecules making up water vapor in the air. But how much water is there on, in, above, and below the Earth, and where is it located? Use the topics below to explore the basic concepts and facts about water.

Learn about water science using pictures.