Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include non-salty mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs.
Less than three percent of our planet’s water is fresh water, and less than half of that is available as a liquid; the rest is locked away as ice in polar caps and glaciers. For these reasons, freshwater ecosystems are a precious resource.
Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. [1] They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and ...
The definition of freshwater is water containing less than 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids, most often salt. As a part of the water cycle, Earth's surface-water bodies are generally thought of as renewable resources, although they are very dependent on other parts of the water cycle.
Most of the world’s fresh water is not easily accessible to humans. Approximately 69 percent of Earth’s fresh water is locked away in the form of ice in glaciers and polar ice caps, and another 30 percent of Earth’s fresh water is under the surface in the form of groundwater.
More than 68 percent of the fresh water on Earth is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30 percent is found in ground water. Only about 0.3 percent of our fresh water is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers, and swamps.
The freshwater biome is home to likely millions of wonderful aquatic plants and animals, including everything from water lilies to manatees.