5.1B Water stores and fluxes

• Water facts:

  • Freshwater makes up just 2.5% of all Earth's water
  • Approximately 1.6% of the freshwater is locked away:
  • 68.7% as ice within the cryosphere
  • The remaining 30.1% is groundwater 
  • In total, just 0.9% of the Earth's total freshwater, is accessible to humans 
• Store/reservoir =  a body of water that acts as a holding point
• • Frozen water in the cryosphere = 68.7%
  • Liquid water in the hydrosphere = 1%
  • Water vapour in the atmosphere = 0.2%
  • Groundwater in the lithosphere = 30.1%
• • Annual flux are the variations in flows due to temperature, seasons and location
  • Flows such as evaporation will be greatest in warmer areas due to increased heating from the sun e.g. at the equator
  • This then leads to high rates of precipitation at the equator too
• Fluxes = transfer of water