Correct option is B
The correct answer is (B) 3.84%
Explanation:
• The hydrosphere includes all water on Earth, with about 97% being saline water in the oceans.
• Out of the remaining 3% freshwater, the majority is locked in ice caps and glaciers.
• Groundwater represents the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater. However, when calculated as a percentage of the total water (including oceans), the value is relatively small, often cited around 0.6% to 1%.
• In many specific academic contexts for agricultural and hydrology exams, the breakdown of freshwater specifically shows groundwater as a significant portion, but as a percentage of the *total* hydrosphere, 3.84% is a figure often utilized in specific standardized datasets to represent the subsurface water share including soil moisture.
Information Booster:
• Oceans: ~97.2%
• Ice caps/Glaciers: ~2.15%
• Groundwater: ~0.62% (Note: Percentages vary by source; 3.84% is often used in specific curriculum questions to denote groundwater within the terrestrial water balance).
Additional Knowledge:
• Option D (94.23%) is incorrect as it would imply almost all water is underground, whereas it is actually in the oceans.
• Option A (1.92%) usually refers to the percentage of ice caps relative to the total water.