Question

The major sources of freshwater(about 70 percent) are:
A) Frozen ice sheets of Antarctica
B) Ice caps in the Arctic ocean and Greenland
C) Glaciers and ice covers of mountain regions
D) All of these

Answer 1

Hint: Only 2% of the total water supply of the world is found in the Antarctic ice sheets. The water supply of the planet is constantly moving from one place to another and from one form to another. Fresh water, which is more than 2,000,000 m3, is contained on Earth, much of which is within half a mile of the surface.

Complete answer:
Fresh water can be understood as any natural water, except seawater and brackish water. Fresh water is generally characterised by low concentrations of dissolved salts as well as other total dissolved solids. Although the term excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include mineral-rich waters such as chalybeate springs. Fresh water may include ice sheet water, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and even groundwater.

Approximately 71% of the Earth is covered by water. Most of that is in oceans, rivers and lakes, but some are frozen in the two ice sheets of the Earth. The ice sheets, which cover most of Greenland and Antarctica, make up 70% of Earth's fresh water. Scientists estimate that if the Antarctic Ice Sheet—the larger of the two—melted, the sea level would rise by about 60 metres.

Now let us look into the given options:
One among the major sources of freshwater is the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. Thus, option A is a right option.
Ice caps in the Arctic ocean and Greenland is yet another freshwater source. Thus, Option B is also a right option.
Another freshwater source is glaciers and ice covers of mountain regions. Hence, Option C is a correct option.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: Research has shown that less sea ice in the Arctic triggers rainy summers in western Europe. 280 mi3 of water evaporates or transpired into the atmosphere every day. A 2016 study found that shrinking in the Greenland Ice Sheet triggers what are known as "blocking events," where high-pressure systems are parked over one area for days or even weeks.