Earth’s Water
Developed the the
GPM Education and
Public Outreach Team
NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center
ENGAGE – Riddle me this
What runs and never gets tired?
What runs and has no feet, roars but
has no mouth?
What lives in winter, dies in summer,
and grows with its root upward?
ENGAGE - KWL
EXPLORE: Water on Earth
Predict: If the water in this 5 gallon bucket
represents the water on Earth, how much do you
think is in a form that is available to humans?
EXPLAIN: Water on Earth
97.5% of Earth’s water is salt water
2.5% of Earth’s water is fresh water
98.7% of fresh water is frozen/
underground
1.3% of fresh water is surface water
Less than 1% of Earth’s water is usable for
humans.
EXPLORE: Mapping Water on Earth
Where is the land? Where is the water?
What types of water can on this map?
EXPLORE: Water and Landforms
Lakes
Permafrost/Tundra
Ocean
Wetlands
Desert
Rainforest
Ice/Glaciers
EXPLORE: Water on Earth with NatGeo
EVALUATE
Why is Earth’s nickname “the water planet”
both accurate and misleading?
List at least 5 things you
learned to complete your
KWL chart.
EXTEND: Chart Earth’s Water
GPM
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Satellite will
collect precipitation data from around the world.
Knowing where and how much rain or snow falls globally is
vital to understanding how weather and climate impact both
our environment and Earth’s water and energy cycles.
Precipitation patterns have effects on agriculture, fresh water
availability, and responses to natural disasters.
Video- “The Fresh(water) connection”