<P> According to Igor A. Shiklomanov, it takes 2500 years for the complete recharge and replenishment of oceanic waters, 10,000 years for permafrost and ice, 1500 years for deep groundwater and mountainous glaciers, 17 years in lakes and 16 days in rivers . </P> <P> "Specific water availability is the residual (after use) per capita quantity of fresh water ." Fresh water resources are unevenly distributed in terms of space and time and can go from floods to water shortages within months in the same area . In 1998 76% of the total population had a specific water availability of less than 5.0 thousand m3 per year per capita . Already by 1998, 35% of the global population suffered "very low or catastrophically low water supplies" and Shiklomanov predicted that the situation would deteriorate in the twenty - first century with "most of the Earth's population will be living under the conditions of low or catastrophically low water supply" by 2025 . There is only 2.5% of fresh water in the hydrosphere and only 0.25% of water is accessible for our use . </P>

Please order the reservoirs of the hydrosphere from largest to smallest