Water is the most abundant substance on the Earth’s surface.
About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, most of which is found in the oceans.
In fact, 97% of Earth's water, nearly all of it, is in the Earth’s oceans.
This means that just 3% of Earth's water is fresh water, water with low concentrations of salts.
Most freshwater is found as ice in the vast glaciers of Greenland and the immense ice sheets of Antarctica.
That leaves just 0.6% of Earth’s water that is freshwater that humans can easily use.
Most liquid freshwater is found under the Earth’s surface as groundwater, while the rest is found in lakes, rivers, and streams, and water vapor in the sky.