what is the main reservoir for fresh water on earth
Fresh water
Out of all the water on Earth , saline water in oceans , seas and saline groundwater make up about 97 % of it . Only 2.5 -- 2.75 % is fresh water , including 1.75 -- 2 % frozen in glaciers , ice and snow , 0.5 -- 0.75 % as fresh groundwater and soil moisture , and less than 0.01 % of it as surface water in lakes , swamps and rivers . Freshwater lakes contain about 87 % of this fresh surface water , including 29 % in the African Great Lakes , 22 % in Lake Baikal in Russia , 21 % in the North American Great Lakes , and 14 % in other lakes . Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers , most notably the Amazon River . The atmosphere contains 0.04 % water . In areas with no fresh water on the ground surface , fresh water derived from precipitation may , because of its lower density , overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers . Most of the world 's fresh water is frozen in ice sheets . Many areas suffer from lack of distribution of fresh water , such as deserts . 
Out of all the water on Earth , saline water in oceans , seas and saline groundwater make up about 97 % of it . Only 2.5 -- 2.75 % is fresh water , including 1.75 -- 2 % frozen in glaciers , ice and snow , 0.5 -- 0.75 % as fresh groundwater and soil moisture , and less than 0.01 % of it as surface water in lakes , swamps and rivers . Freshwater lakes contain about 87 % of this fresh surface water , including 29 % in the African Great Lakes , 22 % in Lake Baikal in Russia , 21 % in the North American Great Lakes , and 14 % in other lakes . Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers , most notably the Amazon River . The atmosphere contains 0.04 % water . In areas with no fresh water on the ground surface , fresh water derived from precipitation may , because of its lower density , overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers . Most of the world 's fresh water is frozen in ice sheets . Many areas suffer from lack of distribution of fresh water , such as deserts .
Most of the world 's fresh water is frozen in ice sheets.   Only 2.5 -- 2.75 % is fresh water on Earth, including 1.75 -- 2 % frozen in glaciers, ice and snow, 0.5 -- 0.75 % as fresh groundwater and soil moisture, and less than 0.01 % of it as surface water in lakes, swamps and rivers.
Only 2.5 -- 2.75 % is fresh water , including 1.75 -- 2 % frozen in glaciers , ice and snow , 0.5 -- 0.75 % as fresh groundwater and soil moisture , and less than 0.01 % of it as surface water in lakes , swamps and rivers . Most of the world 's fresh water is frozen in ice sheets .