a long time
A: It would be impossible for the air to hold that much water.
Because rain is evaporated oceans and sea water
Salt is not evaporated with water.
The atmosphere doesn't have the capacity to hold all that water. If the water in the oceans all evaporated, the air would be so saturated with water that it would fall back down,a phenomenon known as rain.
Known as the water cycle, basically, water is evaporated off the oceans and form clouds. The clouds drop rain on the land, and the rain water flows downwards and into rivers, and returns to the ocean. The water cycle then continues.
Yes, rain is part of the hydrosphere, which includes all the water on and around Earth, such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and groundwater. Rain is a key component of the water cycle, where water is evaporated from the Earth's surface, forms clouds, and then falls back to the ground as precipitation.
The reverse process is condensation, formation of a liquid.
Oceans are kept full by the constant drainage (via rivers, streams, etc.) and precipitation of water into them, causing an equilibrium between what is evaporated and what is coming in. Since Earth is virtually a closed system (no water generally leaves earth or comes to Earth), the amount of water on Earth remains a constant, and whatever is evaporated condenses eventually and precipitates over land or the oceans in the form of rain, snow, hail, etc., and (after melting, if frozen) flows back to the oceans.
Rivers get their water from the rain, and rain is fresh because it is in effect distilled. Evaporated water that re-condenses as rain has left impurities or salts behind, when it evaporated.
The oceans formed over millions of years as rainwater accumulated in low-lying areas on Earth's surface.
The moisture that causes rain comes from bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and rivers. When the Sun heats up these sources of water, it evaporates and turns into water vapor in the air. As the water vapor rises and cools, it condenses into clouds and eventually falls back to the ground as rain.
Rainfall is primarily powered by the evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, and rivers. If the oceans were to die, there would be less water available for evaporation, leading to a decrease in overall rainfall. This would result in dry conditions and potential droughts in many regions.
The principal source of evaporated water in our atmosphere is also the largest source of water on our planet. It is the water evaporating from our oceans. Water also evaporates from lakes, rivers, streams or any other place where water can be found.