A cubic kilometer might sound abstract, but it’s a colossal unit of volume measurement that fires the imagination. Imagine a giant cube stretching a kilometer – that’s 1,000 meters – long on each side, containing one billion cubic meters! To visualize, picture over 400,000 Olympic-size swimming pools packed into that space. Cubic kilometers are often used to gauge the volume of large water bodies, like net water storage in massive reservoirs or the extent of vast glaciers.
Additionally, the mighty oceans of Earth collectively hold around 1.332 billion cubic kilometers of water. Despite their size covering 71% of Earth’s surface, converting ocean volumes into cubic kilometers provides a more graspable scale of our planet’s vast aquatic expanse, helping scientists track changes over time.
The gigalitre (GL) is a volumetric unit equivalent to one billion litres, often used to measure water resources on a large scale. To put this into perspective, a gigalitre of water could fill approximately 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools! This unit is crucial in managing and understanding global water sources, especially in regions facing water scarcity.
Interestingly, the Snowy Mountains Scheme in Australia, one of the largest engineering projects in the world, diverts roughly 4,000 gigalitres of water annually, illustrating just how expansive the potential application of this unit can be. By using measurements like the gigalitre, governments and scientists can communicate more effectively about water reserves, helping to support sustainable water management and planning across diverse environments.
| Cubic kilometers | Gigalitres |
|---|---|
0
km³
|
0
Gl
|
0.1
km³
|
100
Gl
|
0.2
km³
|
200
Gl
|
0.3
km³
|
300
Gl
|
0.4
km³
|
400
Gl
|
0.5
km³
|
500
Gl
|
0.6
km³
|
600
Gl
|
0.7
km³
|
700
Gl
|
0.8
km³
|
800
Gl
|
0.9
km³
|
900
Gl
|
1
km³
|
1000
Gl
|
1.1
km³
|
1100
Gl
|
1.2
km³
|
1200
Gl
|
1.3
km³
|
1300
Gl
|
1.4
km³
|
1400
Gl
|
1.5
km³
|
1500
Gl
|
1.6
km³
|
1600
Gl
|
1.7
km³
|
1700
Gl
|
1.8
km³
|
1800
Gl
|
1.9
km³
|
1900
Gl
|
2
km³
|
2000
Gl
|
2.1
km³
|
2100
Gl
|
2.2
km³
|
2200
Gl
|
2.3
km³
|
2300
Gl
|
2.4
km³
|
2400
Gl
|
2.5
km³
|
2500
Gl
|
2.6
km³
|
2600
Gl
|
2.7
km³
|
2700
Gl
|
2.8
km³
|
2800
Gl
|
2.9
km³
|
2900
Gl
|
3
km³
|
3000
Gl
|
3.1
km³
|
3100
Gl
|
3.2
km³
|
3200
Gl
|
3.3
km³
|
3300
Gl
|
3.4
km³
|
3400
Gl
|
3.5
km³
|
3500
Gl
|
3.6
km³
|
3600
Gl
|
3.7
km³
|
3700
Gl
|
3.8
km³
|
3800
Gl
|
3.9
km³
|
3900
Gl
|
4
km³
|
4000
Gl
|
4.1
km³
|
4100
Gl
|
4.2
km³
|
4200
Gl
|
4.3
km³
|
4300
Gl
|
4.4
km³
|
4400
Gl
|
4.5
km³
|
4500
Gl
|
4.6
km³
|
4600
Gl
|
4.7
km³
|
4700
Gl
|
4.8
km³
|
4800
Gl
|
4.9
km³
|
4900
Gl
|
5
km³
|
5000
Gl
|
5.1
km³
|
5100
Gl
|
5.2
km³
|
5200
Gl
|
5.3
km³
|
5300
Gl
|
5.4
km³
|
5400
Gl
|
5.5
km³
|
5500
Gl
|
5.6
km³
|
5600
Gl
|
5.7
km³
|
5700
Gl
|
5.8
km³
|
5800
Gl
|
5.9
km³
|
5900
Gl
|
6
km³
|
6000
Gl
|
6.1
km³
|
6100
Gl
|
6.2
km³
|
6200
Gl
|
6.3
km³
|
6300
Gl
|
6.4
km³
|
6400
Gl
|
6.5
km³
|
6500
Gl
|
6.6
km³
|
6600
Gl
|
6.7
km³
|
6700
Gl
|
6.8
km³
|
6800
Gl
|
6.9
km³
|
6900
Gl
|
7
km³
|
7000
Gl
|
7.1
km³
|
7100
Gl
|
7.2
km³
|
7200
Gl
|
7.3
km³
|
7300
Gl
|
7.4
km³
|
7400
Gl
|
7.5
km³
|
7500
Gl
|
7.6
km³
|
7600
Gl
|
7.7
km³
|
7700
Gl
|
7.8
km³
|
7800
Gl
|
7.9
km³
|
7900
Gl
|
8
km³
|
8000
Gl
|
8.1
km³
|
8100
Gl
|
8.2
km³
|
8200
Gl
|
8.3
km³
|
8300
Gl
|
8.4
km³
|
8400
Gl
|
8.5
km³
|
8500
Gl
|
8.6
km³
|
8600
Gl
|
8.7
km³
|
8700
Gl
|
8.8
km³
|
8800
Gl
|
8.9
km³
|
8900
Gl
|
9
km³
|
9000
Gl
|
9.1
km³
|
9100
Gl
|
9.2
km³
|
9200
Gl
|
9.3
km³
|
9300
Gl
|
9.4
km³
|
9400
Gl
|
9.5
km³
|
9500
Gl
|
9.6
km³
|
9600
Gl
|
9.7
km³
|
9700
Gl
|
9.8
km³
|
9800
Gl
|
9.9
km³
|
9900
Gl
|
10
km³
|
10000
Gl
|
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