Skip to content

Image

A Drop in the Ocean

A Drop in the Ocean

September 25, 2013

Viewed from outer space, Earth has been called the Blue Planet. But if you could pull all the water in the ocean, the atmosphere, groundwater and surface water into a ball, it would measure only about 950 miles (1,500 kilometers) in diameter (the large sphere). Only about 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh (the mid-sized sphere); and of that, only one-third is easily accessible to humans (the small sphere). Watch a video illustrating this surprising scarcity, explore the water cycle, and read more here. (Illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Image and Visual Licensing

WHOI copyright digital assets (stills and video) contained on this website can be licensed for non-commercial use upon request and approval. Please contact WHOI Digital Assets at images@whoi.edu or (508) 289-2647.