About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, primarily in the form of oceans, which hold about 96.5% to 97% of all Earth's water
. This surface water includes oceans, seas, ice caps, glaciers, rivers, and lakes. However, when considering the entire volume of the Earth, water constitutes only about 0.02% of Earth's total mass and approximately 0.128% of Earth's volume
. In summary:
- 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water.
- Oceans contain about 96.5% to 97% of all Earth's water.
- Freshwater makes up about 2.5% of Earth's water, mostly locked in ice and glaciers.
- Water as a fraction of Earth's total volume is about 0.128%.
- Water as a fraction of Earth's total mass is about 0.02%.
Thus, while water dominates the surface area of the planet, it is a very small fraction of Earth's overall volume and mass
