…..think of this picture:
Explanation: How much of planet Earth is made of water? Very little, actually. Although oceans of water cover about 70 percent of Earth’s surface, these oceans are shallow compared to the Earth’s radius. The above illustration shows what would happen if all of the water on or near the surface of the Earth were bunched up into a ball. The radius of this ball would be only about 700 kilometers, less than half the radius of the Earth’s Moon, but slightly larger than Saturn’s moon Rhea which, like many moons in our outer Solar System, is mostly water ice. How even this much water came to be on the Earth and whether any significant amount is trapped far beneath Earth‘s surface remain topics of research.
It came from this site. I’ve left the explanation and all the included links as is. Follow the links, they’re fascinating.
Amazing stuff, eh?
May 23, 2012 at 9:46 pm |
Funny how all of the earths water appears to gravitating to North America doesn’t it? 😉 Great post and really interesting idea especially when you realise that our salty water (a.k.a. “sea”) is becoming saltier now and just how precious our fresh water actually is…why oh WHY don’t our government push composting toilets!!! Think of the saved water then…
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May 24, 2012 at 7:20 am |
Hi narf, that’s something I hadn’t thought of. Most of that little blue ball will be salt water. If it had been two balls, salt and fresh, the freshwater ball would probably be the size of a pin head.
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May 24, 2012 at 12:38 am |
Wow! Goes to show what mind shift can occur when you show something from a different perspective.
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May 24, 2012 at 7:22 am |
Hi Jason. Mind shifts are a great experience. When they happen, they just, well, blow your mind!
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