The correct answer is (C) 97% because the vast majority of the planet's total water reserves are concentrated in saline oceans and seas.
Global Water Distribution: According to data verified by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), roughly 97% of all water on, in, and above the Earth is saline saltwater, leaving only about 3% as freshwater.
Freshwater Scarcity: Out of that remaining 3% of freshwater, more than two-thirds is tightly locked away in polar ice caps, glaciers, and snowy mountain ranges, making accessible liquid surface water extremely rare.
Incorrect Options:
(A) 93% is incorrect because it understates the massive global volume of the marine biosphere, leaving an impossibly large margin for freshwater.
(B) 95% is incorrect because it falls short of the established hydrological baseline models for saline ocean distribution mapped across the globe.
(D) 99% is incorrect because it vastly overestimates ocean volumes, leaving almost no statistical room for the planet's atmospheric moisture, lakes, and groundwater networks.