ABSTRACT

References ........................................................................................................................................ 19

Water can universally be found in the solid, gaseous, and liquid states. Saltwater oceans contain about 96.5% of our global water supply. Ice, the solid form of water, is the most abundant form of freshwater and most of it, nearly 68.7%, is currently trapped in the polar ice caps and glaciers [1]. About 30% of the freshwater sources are present in aquifers as groundwater. The remaining freshwater is surface water in lakes and rivers, soils, wetlands, biota, and atmospheric water vapor.