Where is significant fresh water stored?

Significant freshwater is primarily stored in glaciers. Glaciers are large masses of ice that form over many years from compressed snow, and they hold about 68.7% of the world's freshwater. This makes them a critical component of the global water supply, especially considering their role as a reservoir that can release water to rivers and ecosystems during warmer months or seasons.

While underground aquifers do store vast amounts of freshwater as well, they account for a smaller proportion of the world's total freshwater resources than glaciers. Rivers contain freshwater too, but they make up a very small fraction of the overall freshwater supply compared to glaciers. Oceans, on the other hand, are primarily salty water and do not count as freshwater sources, which further highlights the significance of glaciers in the context of freshwater storage.