The globe is full of interesting, amusing, and fascinating information, with over 200 countries and over 7.8 billion people (plus plants, animals, and other things). In the nation of the Kiwis, for instance, you'll discover the highest number of pet owners on the planet. And over in Nicaragua, you'll discover one of the only two flags in the world to feature the color purple. Hungry for more statistics about the planet and its ever-growing population? Read on to learn some interesting trivia about the Earth's past, present, and future.
1.Glaciers and ice sheets retain around 69 percent of the world's freshwater.
Just over 96 percent of the entire volume of the world's water is contained in its oceans, according to Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources via the United States Geological Survey (USGS) (USGS). However, that's largely seawater. To find the bulk of the world's freshwater you need to go to the poles, as 68.7 percent of it is trapped in ice caps, permanent snow, and glaciers.
2.The fastest gust of wind ever recorded on Earth was 253 miles per hour.
Hang on to your hats because this isn't your normal wind storm. In 1996, a tropical cyclone named Olivia slammed off the coast of Barrow Island, Australia with such fury that it shattered an astonishing record. According to The Weather Channel, "Olivia's eyewall produced five strong three-second wind gusts, the greatest of which was a 253 mph gust," which blew past the previous wind record of 231 mph recorded on Mount Washington, New Hampshire back in 1934.
3.Recent droughts in Europe were the worst in 2,100 years.
Europe has been experiencing catastrophic dry periods and severe heat since 2015, which has created catastrophic droughts. Research done led by the University of Cambridge (and published on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website) looked at examined isotopes in the rings of old European oak trees in Central Europe which grew over thousands of years to try to narrow down the cause. They determined that the dry spells were a "result of human-caused climate change and accompanying disruptions in the jet stream," according to EurekAlert!
4.The best place in the world to watch rainbows is in Hawaii.
If you're an enthusiastic rainbow gazer and want to get your fill of the magnificent phenomena, go no further than the state of Hawaii. Research published by the American Meteorological Society in 2021 highlighted that the area's "mountains provide strong gradients in clouds and rainfall, which are important for abundant rainbow sightings." Air pollution, pollen, and a significant volume of cresting waves further assist in putting Hawaii at the top of the list when it comes to rainbow numbers and quality.
5.There are fossilized plants in Greenland under 1.4 km of ice.
Around 80 percent of Greenland is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, which Britannica states as the "biggest and possibly the only relic of the Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere." But has it always been that icy? Well, at the bottom of a 1.4 km core sample, which was taken in 1966 at Camp Century during the Cold War, researchers found "well-preserved fossil plants and proteins," which suggests that the huge sheet melted and reformed at least once in the last million years. Brrrrr!
6.Whale songs can be utilized to map out the ocean floor.
Fin whales are basically the Barry White of the seas. The booming, roaring songs that males employ to attract mates are thought to be the loudest of all marine creatures and may be "heard up to 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away," according to Scientific American. They can also be used to sonically map out the ocean floor because of the fact that the sound can reach depths of 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) under the water, which bounces back and gives researchers with accurate data. Beyond that, a 2021 study in Science revealed how using a fin whale song may be significantly more effective and have less of a harmful influence on sea life than utilizing a huge air gun, which is the standard instrument researchers rely on.
7.New animals have been found in deep-sea volcanoes.
Finding previously undiscovered organisms in the depths of the ocean may sound like something straight out of a sci-fi horror film, but a 2020 study of a deep-sea volcano near New Zealand, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, uncovered "over 90 putative bacterial and archaeal genomic families and nearly 300 previously unknown genera." Some studies have linked hydrothermal vents, like deep-sea volcanoes, to the "beginning of life." So are we looking at the early indicators of future land-dwellers? We'll have to wait and see.
8.Mount Everest is currently bigger than the previous time it was measured.
Mount Everest may not have physically grown, having attained maturity a long time ago, yet, the most recent measurement made by surveyors representing China and Nepal finds the mountain peak standing taller than we'd assumed in the past. According to NPR, previous observations varied from 29,002 feet above sea level in 1856 to 20,029 feet in 1955. Due to plate tectonics, researchers have determined that Mount Everest stands at a magnificent 29,031.69 feet following a lengthy procedure of surveying the peak with GPS sensors.
9.Climate change is causing flower colors to alter.
Don't worry, your beloved red roses won't become blue overnight, but an increase in UV radiation produced by the ozone layer's depletion over the past decades has led flowers all around the world to change. According to a 2020 study led by Clemson University experts, UV pigmentation in flowers has grown over time, resulting in pollen destruction. Although we cannot perceive the color change with our eyes, it is a major issue for pollinators such as bees, who are drawn to the rich colors produced by flowers.
10.Dentistry is the world's oldest profession.
Dentistry dates back to when humans first had teeth...well, not quite that far back. One study, however, discovered evidence of teeth being drilled into skulls dating from 7,500 to 9,000 years ago. The holes were most likely drilled using a primitive bow-drill. Could that be the first dentist's work? According to the BBC, another biting study on a 14,000-year-old skull done by the University of Bologna, Italy discovered that "one rotting tooth in the jaw had been carefully scrubbed and scraped with a tool." That makes dentistry one of the oldest recorded professions, which is certainly cause for celebration.
