Final answer:
Approximately 90% of Earth's ice is located in the Antarctic ice sheet. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets together hold the bulk of the planet's fresh water. The melting of these ice sheets due to climate change poses a significant risk of sea level rise.
Step-by-step explanation:
Where is 90 percent of Earth's ice found? The majority of Earth's ice, about 90%, is located in the Antarctic ice sheet. This ice sheet covers approximately 98 percent of the Antarctic continent and is up to a mile deep on average, extending to three miles deep in some areas. During the winter season, the area of this ice sheet might double as it expands from the coastline, encompassing a significant portion of the Southern Hemisphere's cold region.
The Greenland ice sheet holds the remainder of Earth's significant ice volume, which is about 10%. Together, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets contain the majority of the Earth's fresh water, with the Antarctic ice sheet alone holding about 70 percent of it. This is staggeringly vast when compared to other land ice volumes like glaciers, which make up less than half a percent of Earth's ice volume.
Concerns about global warming and climate change highlight the potential implications of melting these ice sheets. The cumulative melting of the ice in Antarctica and Greenland could result in a substantial rise in global sea levels, which could inundate low-lying coastal areas and islands.