# Cool graphic showing all the water on earth **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426 "2012-10-11T15:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/1 "2012-10-11T15:54:21Z")
[I would have thought the ball would have been bigger.](http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/2010/gallery/global-water-volume.html) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/2 "2012-10-11T16:23:16Z")
That is fascinating. Thank you for sharing. Sent to my son for potential use as a science article in class… ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/3 "2012-10-11T16:35:03Z")
That’s almost incomprehensible when viewed like that. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/4 "2012-10-11T16:39:01Z")
I would have expected it to be bigger too. Someone once told me though that if you compared the earth to a cue ball, the earth is smoother overall. We think of mountains as being tall and the oceans as being deep, but relative to the overall size of the earth they aren’t. [QUOTE=wikipedia] Local topography deviates from this idealized spheroid, although on a global scale, these deviations are small: Earth has a tolerance of about one part in about 584, or 0.17%, from the reference spheroid, which is less than the 0.22% tolerance allowed in billiard balls. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/5 "2012-10-11T16:42:16Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I would have expected it to be bigger too. Someone once told me though that if you compared the earth to a cue ball, the earth is smoother overall. We think of mountains as being tall and the oceans as being deep, but relative to the overall size of the earth they aren’t. We’ve had that discussion on here before too, and it also was almost incomprehensible! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/6 "2012-10-11T16:53:01Z")
And it all belongs to America! ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/7 "2012-10-11T17:24:59Z")
To a depth of 107 miles! Enjoy ---
**Author:** ![Eurograff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Eurograff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eurograff)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/8 "2012-10-11T18:15:12Z")
Well, that’s certainly a nice sphere, but looks like someone in the Jovian neighborhood [has a much bigger one](http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120524.html). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/9 "2012-10-11T18:57:44Z")
Obligatory [XKCD essay.](http://what-if.xkcd.com/12/) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/10 "2012-10-11T19:01:51Z")
> [@Eurograff](#): > > Well, that’s certainly a nice sphere, but looks like someone in the Jovian neighborhood [has a much bigger one](http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120524.html). We need a very long straw. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/11 "2012-10-11T19:22:36Z")
Yes, I would have thought the water ball would be larger. Gaah … can’t stand it when Eurograff brags about those Jovian Europans having the best water ball! ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/12 "2012-10-11T19:28:33Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > We need a very long straw. That goes acrooooooooooooooooooooooooooss the solar system. WE DRINK EUROPA’S WATER! WE DRINK IT UP! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/13 "2012-10-11T19:58:05Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > That goes acrooooooooooooooooooooooooooss the solar system. WE DRINK EUROPA’S WATER! WE DRINK IT UP! And when we pee it all out, how many coastal cities will we drown? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/14 "2012-10-11T20:13:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And when we pee it all out, how many coastal cities will we drown? I was thinking about that. You can’t buy Europa’s water, you can only rent Europa’s water. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/15 "2012-10-11T20:18:06Z")
If thought Fiji water was expensive… ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/16 "2012-10-11T20:20:01Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I would have expected it to be bigger too. Someone once told me though that if you compared the earth to a cue ball, the earth is smoother overall. We think of mountains as being tall and the oceans as being deep, but relative to the overall size of the earth they aren’t. A similar comparison that I have heard is to an [apple](http://wow-really.blogspot.com/2007/01/earths-crust-thinner-than-apples-skin.html), with the skin of an apple having about the same relative thickness as the Earth’s crust, which is on average about 6 times thicker than the average depth of the oceans (you might as well throw in the oceans and atmosphere, which would have a similar average depth if it was all at sea level pressure, when making this comparison). ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/17 "2012-10-11T20:34:12Z")
> [@Eurograff](#): > > Well, that’s certainly a nice sphere, but looks like someone in the Jovian neighborhood [has a much bigger one](http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120524.html). But that has nothing to [GJ 1214 b](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GJ_1214_b) if the following assumptions are correct (or even if they are way off, as in orders of magnitude): > [@](#): > > GJ 1214 b is about 2.7 times Earth’s diameter and is almost seven times as massive… > > …If GJ 1214 b is assumed to be an ocean planet,[10] i.e. the interior is assumed to be composed primarily of a water core surrounded by more water, proportions of the total mass consistent with the mass and radius are ~25% rock and ~75% water, covered by a thick envelope of gases such as hydrogen and helium (~0.05%). 7 times Earth’s mass and up to 75% water means the equivalent of over 5 Earth masses of pure water, and since the density of Earth is about 5.5 times the density of water, the volume is about 29 times that of Earth, or a sphere about 3 times wider than Earth. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/18 "2012-10-12T02:27:05Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Obligatory [XKCD essay.](http://what-if.xkcd.com/12/) No one’s pointed out the reference to the Marianas Trench in that link yet? You guys are slipping. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/19 "2012-10-12T12:48:53Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > No one’s pointed out the reference to the Marianas Trench in that link yet? You guys are slipping. > 🙂 Well you did…just once…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-graphic-showing-all-the-water-on-earth/637426/20 "2012-10-13T02:18:02Z")
Very interesting, thanks for posting this, PlainJain.