Question

The amount of groundwater is estimated to be \(\underline{\hspace{1cm}}\).

• A. nearly equal to the amount of surface water on the planet Earth
• B. less than the amount of surface water on the planet Earth
• C. twice the amount of surface water on the planet Earth
• D. twenty five times the amount of surface water on the planet Earth

Hint:

Remember the freshwater distribution: most is frozen in ice caps (\(\sim\)69%). Of what's left, almost all of it is groundwater (\(\sim\)30%). The tiny fraction remaining (\(\sim\)1%) is the surface water in lakes and rivers that we see and use most often.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Identify major freshwater reservoirs.
Most of Earth's water is saltwater (oceans). Freshwater is mostly in glaciers and ice caps.

Step 2: Compare liquid freshwater sources.
Liquid freshwater exists primarily as groundwater and surface water (lakes, rivers, etc.).

Step 3: Determine relative amounts.
Groundwater accounts for about 30% of Earth's freshwater. Surface freshwater (lakes, rivers, etc.) is only about 1.2%.

Step 4: Calculate the approximate ratio. The ratio of groundwater to surface water is roughly 30% / 1.2% \(\approx\) 25.Therefore, groundwater is approximately 25 times more abundant than surface freshwater. Option (D) reflects this difference in quantity.