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10 Interesting Things About Water

There aren’t many qualities that are true of all life on Earth, but the need for water is one of them. It’s in all living things, whether they live at the bottom of the ocean or in the driest desert. Water made life possible on Earth. Because of this, astrobiologists (scientists who search for life on other planets) think our best bet for finding life is to search for water.

Water could be the key to finding life.

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About 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water. Around 97% of that water is found in our oceans. This water is salty. That means about 3% of Earth’s water is fresh.

Almost all Earth’s water is in the oceans.

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You can find Earth’s fresh water in lakes, rivers, and streams, but don’t forget water stored underground (groundwater) and in ice sheets and glaciers. Over 68% of Earth’s fresh water is locked up in ice, and another 30% is groundwater.

Most fresh water is actually ice.

Arrows point at the North and South of Earth where ice can be found.