'70% of the Earth's surface is water. Of this 70%, 98% is salt water, leaving 2% as fresh water. Of the 2% that is fresh, about 90% is frozen. This frozen water is locked up in the Antarctic ice sheets and glaciers on the Alps, etc.'
Response last updated by Terry on Aug 25 2016.
Aug 17 2003, 4:02 PM
Senior Moments
Answer has 15 votes
Senior Moments
Answer has 15 votes.
The Cryosphere includes all forms of frozen water on the Earth's land or sea surfaces, as well as perennially frozen ground. You can find frozen water in different forms on the Earth surface such as: Seasonal snow, glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost or perennially frozen ground. Seasonal snow is very important to study, due to the fact that it covers approximately about 33 percent of the total Earth surface mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Seasonal snowfall accounts for a good percentage of the annual precipitation in the northern countries.
In the other hand, Glaciers and ice sheets cover about 10 percent of the Earth's land area and accounts for storing about 75 percent of the world's freshwater. These large masses of ice accumulate from snowfall over long periods of time. When glacier and ice sheets reach their critical thickness they travel or flow. https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/
Response last updated by satguru on Jun 03 2021.
Aug 18 2003, 7:51 AM
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