GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Groundwater is the most accessed source of freshwater around the world, including as drinking water, irrigation, and manufacturing. Groundwater accounts for about half of the world’s drinking water, 40% of its irrigation water, and a third of water for industrial purposes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Groundwater is fresh water (from rain or melting ice and snow) that soaks into the soil and is stored in the tiny spaces (pores) between rocks and particles of soil. Groundwater accounts for nearly 95 percent of the nation’s fresh water resources.

Detailed explanation-3: -Fresh water is found in glaciers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands and even groundwater. These freshwater habitats are less than 1% of the world’s total surface area yet house 10% of all known animals and up to 40% of all known fish species.

Detailed explanation-4: -Groundwater and global water distribution About 1.7 percent of all of Earth’s water is groundwater and about 30.1 percent of freshwater on Earth occurs as groundwater. As the bar chart shows, about 5, 614, 000 cubic miles (mi3), or 23, 400, 000 cubic kilometers (km3), of groundwater exist on Earth.

Detailed explanation-5: -Rainwater is the main source of groundwater. Rainwater recharges the groundwater through the process of the water cycle.