Themes > Science > Earth Sciences > Hydrology, Meteorology, Climatology > Hydrology > Generalities > Global Distribution of Water


The major phases of the hydrological cycle

surface storage (rivers, lakes) 0.02%
glaciers 1.9%
groundwater/ soil water 0.5%
atmosphere 0.0001%
oceans 97.6%
  • 60% of river water in Amazon and Congo
  • about 8% of Canada is lake (largest area of lake in the world)
  • global precipitable water vapour = 25 mm; global average annual ppt. = 1000 mm, therefore, atmospheric water is completely recycled 40X per year or every 9 days


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