Residence times

• Residence times


  The average time a water molecule will spend in the reservoir or store.
• Residence times


  • Oceans - 3,600 years
  • Icecaps - 15,000 years (depends on size)
  • Groundwater - Up to 10,000 years for deep groundwater, 100-200 for shallow
  • Rivers and lakes - 2 weeks to 10 years, 50 for very large scale
  • Soil moisture - 2 to 50 weeks
  • Atmospheric moisture - 10 days