What is the largest body of fresh water in the world?
Facts About Lake Baikal, the World’s Largest Body of Fresh Water Located in southeastern Siberia north of the Mongolian border is Lake Baikal, the oldest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Baikal formed 25 million years ago in what geologists believe is a former riverbed.
What is the largest freshwater lake in the world?
Source: wikimedia.org. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. It is fed by 300 different streams and rivers, the largest of which is Ontario’s Nipigon River, and is said to be the clearest and cleanest of the Great Lakes.
What is the largest sea in the world?
The largest sea in the world is the Philippine Sea, with a surface area of 2,199,000 square miles. It is a marginal sea (a large, shallow body of water along a continental edge) of the western Pacific Ocean located east of the Philippine archipelago. This sea has an intricate, diverse undersea relief with many deep-sea trenches.
What is the second largest lake in the world?
Lake Victoria – 59,947 km 2 Lake Victoria covers an area of about 59,947 sq. km and is the world’s biggest tropical lake and the largest lake on the African continent. After Lake Superior, Lake Victoria is considered the second-largest freshwater lake on the planet.
What is the only fresh body of water in the world to have deeply oxygenated water in its deepest parts?
What is the deepest lake in the world?
What river feeds Lake Baikal?
Why is Lake Baikal becoming an ocean?
How big is Lake Baikal?
Where is Lake Baikal located?
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What is the largest body of fresh water?
Lake BaikalLocated in Russia in the southern region of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake by both volume (22995 km3) and depth (1741m). Lake Baikal contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water. Lake Baikal hides its vast waters under a relatively small surface area (31500 km2).
What are large bodies of freshwater called?
Answer and Explanation: A large body of freshwater is called a lake. Lake Superior, which is located in North America, is the largest freshwater lake in the world when measured by surface area.
What are the largest bodies of water called?
Oceans. Oceans are the biggest bodies of water on earth which cover at least 71% of the surface of the earth.
What is the largest body of water other than the ocean?
The Caspian Sea is the Earth's largest inland body of water, when measured by surface area. It lies at the junction of Europe and Asia, with the Caucasus Mountains to the west and the steppes of Central Asia to the east.
Where is the largest body of fresh water found?
Lake Baikal, RussiaLake Baikal, Russia | WWF. So large that it is often mistaken for a sea, Russia's Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake by volume.
What is the second largest body of freshwater in the world?
Lake TanganyikaLake Tanganyika It is considered to be the second largest body of freshwater in the world by volume and the second deepest, just after Lake Baikal in Russia.
What are the 4 largest bodies of water?
Pacific Ocean - 155,556,651 sq km. Atlantic Ocean - 76,761,938 sq km. Indian Ocean - 68,555,923 sq km. Antarctic / Southern Ocean - 20,327,001 sq km.
What are the three largest bodies of water?
What Are the World's Largest Bodies of Water?OrderNameArea in sq mi (sq km)1.Pacific Ocean60,060,893 (155,557,000)2.Atlantic Ocean29,637,974 (76,762,000)3.Indian Ocean26,469,620 (68,556,000)4.Southern Ocean7,848,299 (20,327,000)15 more rows•Aug 25, 2022
What are the 5 largest bodies of water on the Earth called?
The 5 ocean names are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. Today we have Five Bodies Of Water and Our One World Ocean or Five oceans AKA Ocean 5, and two seas covering over 71 percent of the earths surface and over 97 percent of the earth's water.
What are bodies of freshwater?
Fresh water is found in glaciers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, streams, wetlands and even groundwater.
What are large rivers called?
The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the mainstem is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean. Most large rivers are formed from many tributaries.
What is a large body of freshwater surrounded by land?
lake. body of fresh water surrounded by land.
What is water bodies name?
The oceans are bodies of salt water. We have five oceans in our world. They are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, the Southern Ocean or Antarctic Ocean. The largest and deepest ocean in the world is the Pacific ocean, covering one-third of the earth's surface.
What Is the Longest River in the World?
The longest river in the world is the Nile, which stretches across 4,132 miles. It traverses northeastern Africa, with a drainage basin that covers 11 countries: Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of Sudan, and Egypt. Major Nile tributaries include the White Nile and the Blue Nile. A popular Nile trivia question is, “Why does the Nile flow north?” The answer is that the Nile flows north because north is downhill, as it gathers water from high-elevation lakes in the African Rift Valley. It is a common misconception that rivers always flow south.
Where is the Pacific Ocean located?
It is a marginal sea (a large, shallow body of water along a continental edge) of the western Pacific Ocean located east of the Philippine archipelago. This sea has an intricate, diverse undersea relief with many deep-sea trenches.
Why does the Nile flow north?
The answer is that the Nile flows north because north is downhill, as it gathers water from high-elevation lakes in the African Rift Valley. It is a common misconception that rivers always flow south. The 50 Largest Bodies of Water Ranked by Size is brought to you by Tower Inflatable Paddle Boards and Stand-Up Paddle Boards.
How deep is the Caspian Sea?
This colossal lake has a surface area of 143,200 miles, a water volume of 18,800 cubic miles, an average depth of 690 feet, a maximum depth of 3,360 feet, and a shore length of 4,300 miles. The immense size of the Caspian Sea spans parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Western Asia.
How many ocean species are unknown?
In fact, scientists estimate that 91% of ocean species are unknown! This infographic by Tower Paddle Boards explores the 50 largest bodies of water, categorized by oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers:
What are the trenches in the Philippine Sea?
Philippine Sea trenches include the Mariana Trench (which contains the deepest point on Earth), the Ryukyu Trench, the Izu-Bonin Trench, and the Philippine Trench.
How many bodies of water are there on Earth?
The 50 Largest Bodies of Water Ranked by Size. How much water is there on Earth? Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered in water, with 96.5% of that being oceans. There are five oceans, 177 million lakes, and 76 rivers that are more than 1,000 miles long. These bodies of water have provided sustenance, livelihoods, transportation, ...
What is the largest lake in Africa?
Lake Victoria covers an area of about 59,947 sq. km and is the world’s biggest tropical lake and the largest lake on the African continent. After Lake Superior, Lake Victoria is considered the second-largest freshwater lake on the planet. Lake Victoria is one of Africa’s Great Lakes and was named by the British Indian Army officer and explorer John Hanning Speke in the honor of Queen Victoria. The huge area of Lake Victoria is shared by the African nations of Tanzania (49%), Uganda (45%), and Kenya (6%). This large irregular-shaped lake serves as the chief reservoir of the River Nile and has a length of 359km and a maximum width of 337km. Lake Victoria is however relatively shallow and reaches a maximum depth of 81m and an average depth of 41m. Many rivers flow into Lake Victoria and the waters of the lake drain out via Victoria Nile at the northern shore of the lake. Many islands like Rusinga, Ukerewe, Maboko, etc are located in Lake Victoria.
How deep is the Great Slave Lake?
This irregularly-shaped lake has a length of about 469km and a maximum width of 203km. Great Slave Lake is North America’s deepest lake that reaches a maximum depth of 614m and an average depth of 41m. Some of the major rivers that drain into the Great Slave Lake include the Slave River, Hay River, Lockhart, Taltson, Yellowknife, etc. The waters of the lake flow out via the Mackenzie River.
How big is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior covers an area of about 82,103 sq. km and is the largest of the five Great Lakes of North America as well as the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Lake Superior is also the third-largest lake by volume and holds about 10% of the surface freshwater of the world. The lake has a length of 560km and a maximum width of 260km. It reaches a maximum depth of 406m and has an average depth of 147m. Lake Superior is situated at the extreme northwestern end of the Great Lakes chain and is shared by the Canadian province of Ontario and the US States of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan ’s Upper Peninsula. More than 200 rivers drain into Lake Superior and the waters of the lake empty into Lake Huron through the St. Mary’s River. Many islands like Apostle Islands, Slate Islands, Isle Royale, Michipicoten Island, etc are located within Lake Superior.
How big is Lake Michigan?
Lake Michigan covers an area of about 58,030 sq. km and is the third-largest of the five Great Lakes of North America as well as the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Lake Michigan occupies the western part of Lake Michigan-Huron and is situated entirely within the boundaries of the United States. The lake has a length of 494km and a maximum width of 190km. Lake Michigan reaches a maximum depth of 281m and an average depth of 85m. The Straits of Mackinac connects Lake Michigan with Lake Huron.
How many lakes are there in Canada?
Most of the planet’s freshwater lakes are situated at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. It has been estimated that there are at least 2 million lakes in Canada, out of which 31,752 lakes are larger than 3 sq. km and 591 lakes are more than 100 sq. km. 10 of the world’s largest freshwater lakes have been discussed below.
Which continent has the largest lake?
Continent: Africa. Unique Wildlife: The cichlid Haplochromis nyererei. Source: wikimedia.org. The largest tropical lake in Africa and the world, Lake Victoria rests mainly in Uganda and Tanzania, with a stretch of Kenyan border as well.
What is the second oldest freshwater lake in the world?
The second oldest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika is the longest freshwater lake on Earth, stretching for around 410 miles. Lake Tanganyika is so deep that its ecosystem behaves more like that of an ocean, hosting creatures like jellyfish, snails, and sponges that look astoundingly similar to their oceanic counterparts. Additionally, 300 species of the fish that live there are unique to the area.
How many rivers does Lake Baikal have?
Lake Baikal is also the clearest and oldest freshwater lake in the world and flows into over 330 different rivers and streams.
What is the name of the Great Slave Lake?
Alongside being one of the deepest lakes in North America, the Great Slave Lake is named after the local natives and features a number of notably large bays in its coastline. It is also the second-largest lake in the Canadian Northwest Territories. One notable feature is the Dettah ice road, ...
What is the southernmost lake in the Eastern Rift Valley?
Lake Malawi. Source: wikimedia.org. Taking up an entire fifth of Malawi’s area, Lake Malawi is the southernmost lake of the Eastern Rift Valley system. During the months of May through August, a southeasterly wind known as the mwera makes the lake waters distinctly more turbulent.
How much fresh water is in Lake Baikal?
Lake Baikal contains right around 20% of the planet’s fresh water, which is more than the water of all the Great Lakes combined!
Why are lakes important?
Lakes are an indispensable part of Earth’s ecosystems, providing an environment for all kinds of fauna and flora to live in. Their gorgeous scenery makes them an extremely popular vacation attraction as well. While plenty of freshwater lakes are small enough to ride a canoe or paddle boat across, some can grow large enough to compete with some seas!
Which lake has the most fresh water?
THE WORLD'S LARGEST BODIES OF FRESHWATER. (LAKES) Lake Superior - Situated between Canada and the USA with a surface area of 82,414 sq km. Lake Victoria - Situated between Uganda and Kenya with a surface area of 69,485 sq km. Lake Huron - Situated between Canada and the USA with a surface area of 59,600 sq km.
Which is the largest bay in the world?
The world's largest bay is the Hudson Bay, which is fed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north, east of Canada, which covers an area of 3,861,400 square kilometers.
How long is the Grand Canal?
The Grand Canal - Linking the cities of Beijing and Hangzhou in China - 1,776 kilometers long with 24 locks - Constuction began in the fifth century.
What is the endorheic sea?
Endorheic seas are generally composed of rainwater, snow melt or river drainage, with evaporation as their primary cause of water loss, which generally contain extensive salt pans or flats which result in their waters having a higher salinity level than the world's oceans.
What is the longest commercial canal in the world?
The world's longest commercial seaway is the 4,000 kilometer, St Lawrence Seaway, which links the city of Montreal in Quebec with Lake Erie in Canada. The seaway incorporates the 1,197 kilometer long, St Lawrence River, the 43 kilometer long, Welland Canal and the Canadian Great Lakes Waterway.
What is the size of the Tasman Sea?
Sea of Japan - 978,000 sq km. Tasman Sea - 900,000 sq km. THE WORLD'S ENDORHEIC SEAS. An endorheic sea is generally a landlocked body of water or inland drainage basin that is neither filled by or drains into an ocean.
How deep is Lake Baikal?
Lake Baikal - Situated in Russia with a surface area of 31,500 sq km. This lake is also the world's deepest at 1,642 meters deep.
What is the name of the water body that forms along a very slow moving section of a river or creek?
4. Bayou. Perhaps most common in the southeastern United States, bayous are water bodies that form along a very slow-moving section of a river or creek. While bayous are technically moving bodies of water, they form in very flat areas where the speed of the water is at its slowest.
How much of the world's freshwater is stored in glaciers?
According to the USGS, approximately 68.7% of the world’s freshwater is stored inside glaciers, ice sheets, and ice caps. Additionally, approximately 30.1% of the planet’s freshwater is groundwater, such as aquifers. That means just 1.2% of all freshwater is surface water, such as the lakes and rivers that dot the landscape.
How many subglacial lakes are there in Antarctica?
Although it might seem impossible for liquid water to exist under a massive sheet of ice, there are a few hundred subglacial lakes in Antarctica alone.
Why are canals important?
They were traditionally created to allow boats and other vessels to travel between two major bodies of water even when a navigable river didn’t exist . There are a number of very famous canals around the world, many of which are essential for the global shipping industry.
What are the 47 types of bodies of water?
So, without further ado, here are the 47 types of bodies of water that give life to our wonderful planet Earth: 1. Arroyo. An arroyo is a type of small creek or stream that’s generally found in desert areas. The word “arroyo” comes from the Spanish word arroyo, which means stream.
Where are bays found?
Found all over the world, a bay is a type of water body that’s partially enclosed by land. Most bays are found in coastal regions along the ocean, but large lakes, such as the Great Lakes in the US and Canada, can also have bays.
Is it a futile task to categorize bodies of water?
That being said, most types of bodies of water can exist in various geographic regions and ecosystems, and the majority of water bodies can take many different shapes and sizes . So, categorizing bodies of water is a bit of a futile task because there’s an exception to every rule.
Where does water flow?
Water may flow in rivers or gather in lakes, depending on the landscape . Water can also affect the landscape, like in the carved canyons around the Colorado River. Image by Adrille.
What is the name of the lake formed by a large bend in a river?
A large bend in a river can sometimes separate and form an oxbow lake. Click to enlarge.
How many layers are there in a lake?
But a few major differences exist across this change in depth. Lakes are split into 3 distinct layers based on temperature. You can imagine each of these layers as being similar to the layers on a pizza. Pizza has the lower bread level, the sauce in the middle, and the cheese and other toppings on top.
What is a wetland called?
A wetland is called a bog, marsh, or swamp depending on the kind of vegetation that is present. Bogs have lots of mosses and peat. Peat is a large quantity of decaying plant material that is matted together almost like a birds nest. Marshes contain primarily soft, annual plants such as cattails and sawgrass.
How do rivers create canyons?
These structures are created by rivers slowly washing away the surrounding soils, causing the river to become deeper as soil is moved downstream. Rivers can also form meanders – an S-shaped curving back and forth of the flow of water through the landscape. This meandering works on a positive feedback system. This means that once a river starts to curve, that curve actually causes the river to curve more (the curve increases in size).
Which layer of the lake is warmer?
Image by Mikhail Vedyokhin. Now to the middle, saucy layer of the lake. The metalimnion zone ( meta - means among) is warmer and gets more light than the lower layer. In fact, this layer is sort of a transition zone between the dark, cold bottom of the lake and the light, warm top layer.
Why are wetlands important?
Not only do wetlands house a wide variety of plant and animal life, but they play an important role in natural water purification, flood control, and protection from storms. Events such as Hurricane Katrina were made much worse by the destruction of the wetlands surrounding New Orleans. Large wetlands could have helped provide the city considerable protection and lessened the impact of the hurricane.
What percent of the world's freshwater is underground?
It turns out that Nickerson’s fortunate observation is not that unusual. Nearly 97 percent of the world’s usable freshwater lies underground, and the contents of that vast underground reservoir sometimes seep into the ocean.
Why was little attention paid to submarine groundwater discharge to the coastal ocean?
Little attention was paid to submarine groundwater discharge to the coastal ocean because scientists thought it was insignificant compared to the discharge from rivers and other surface waters. Statistically, they were right: Groundwater represents about 5 to 10 percent of the freshwater input to the ocean.
Why is groundwater discharge important?
Groundwater discharge appears to be an important factor for determining the chemistry of the coastal ocean. As fresh groundwater flows toward the sea, it rises up over denser, salty water. The fresh and salty water mix along the interface, and the resulting fluid discharges at the shoreline. This interface between underground water masses has ...
Why are we working together as a groundwater hydrologist and a marine chemist?
That is why we are working together as a groundwater hydrologist and a marine chemist. Through interdisciplinary collaboration , we will be able to see a big picture that can get lost in the details of a limited scientific focus. In the coming years, we are planning work with other WHOI geologists, geophysicists, and chemists to broaden our view of the problem by conducting a comprehensive study of an entire groundwater discharge system from offshore to inland.
What are the patterns of submarine groundwater discharge?
The patterns of submarine groundwater discharge are the result of complex interactions between hydrologic, chemical, geologic, and human influences. A variety of disparate techniques have been developed for accurately assessing and predicting these flows. Unraveling this knot of interwoven influences requires scientists to work across disciplines, bringing chemists together with geologists, hydrologists with mathematical modelers.
How does groundwater flow?
Groundwater often flows for long distances and time scales. Unlike surface estuaries, in which water is restricted horizontally by topography—for instance, hills and banks restrict water to channels or streams—groundwater flows throughout Earth’s crust. Soil and subsurface geology play a vital role in influencing the direction and rate at which groundwater flows.
Who provides funding for the Coastal Ocean Institute?
The National Science Foundation, the WHOI Coastal Ocean Institute, the Cove Point Foundation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provide funding for this research.
What is the only fresh body of water in the world to have deeply oxygenated water in its deepest parts?
The clarity results from the purity of the melted snow, plankton that eat debris and the presence of few mineral salts in the water. Lake Baikal is the only fresh body of water in the world to have deeply oxygenated water in its deepest parts, just like many of the world’s oceans.
What is the deepest lake in the world?
The area may have originally been a series of lakes, similar to North America’s Great Lakes, and then united during the Pliocene Epoch. Lake Baikal is in a rift valley where 2,000 earthquakes occur each year and help to deepen and widen the lake. These seismic events are responsible for making Lake Baikal the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
What river feeds Lake Baikal?
More than 300 rivers and streams feed into Lake Baikal with more than half of the water flowing into the lake coming from the Selenga River. The Angara River is its only outlet, flowing westward from the southwestern end of the lake, eventually flowing into Yenisei River and from there into the Arctic Ocean.
Why is Lake Baikal becoming an ocean?
Because the eastern and western shores of this 400-mile long lake are moving apart at the same rate that the continents of Africa and South America are moving away from each other , some scientists believe that Lake Baikal will eventually become an ocean.
How big is Lake Baikal?
Even though Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake, it’s only the seventh largest in the world at 12,248 square miles when surface area is considered. However, the lake is the largest in the world in terms of volume as it holds an astonishing 6,075,957,204,237 gallons of water, or approximately one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply.
Where is Lake Baikal located?
Facts About Lake Baikal, the World’s Largest Body of Fresh Water. Located in southeastern Siberia north of the Mongolian border is Lake Baikal, the oldest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Baikal formed 25 million years ago in what geologists believe is a former riverbed.
