Water, Life Cannot Exist Without It.
Water, Life Cannot Exist Without It
Water is the world’s most natural resource and without it there would be no life on earth. Nature limits our available supply of water. Virtually all of human uses require fresh water. 97% of the Earth’s water is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh water of which over two thirds is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The unfrozen freshwater is mainly ground water with only a fraction on the surface. Fresh water is a renewable resource but the world usage of clean water is resulting in a steadily decreasing supply. There is a process know as Desalination which is an artificial process by which saline water (sea water) is converted into fresh water. This process is known as reverse osmosis. This process is very expensive and very little human use is satisfied by desalination. As the world population rises at an unprecedented rate, areas that are experiencing imbalances in supply and demand increases. Water scarcity contributes to instability of regions by depleting the health of a population and obstructing economic development. This effect on regions has been termed “Water Stress”. Water stress, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, applies to situations where there is not enough water for all uses, whether agriculture, industrial or domestic. Defining thresholds for water stress is determined by a complex, entailing assumption about water and its efficiency. The factors used to determine the level of water stress that hampers economic development and human health are population growth, increased affluence, and expansion of business activity, rapid urbanization, and climate change, depletion of aquifers, pollution and water protection. The water cycle itself is important in understanding how this precious natural resource renews itself, but as mentioned earlier fresh surface water (or ground water) is what keeps life going. Usable freshwater is relatively scarce and only
Water is the world’s most natural resource and without it there would be no life on earth. Nature limits our available supply of water. Virtually all of human uses require fresh water. 97% of the Earth’s water is salt water and only 2.5% is fresh water of which over two thirds is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The unfrozen freshwater is mainly ground water with only a fraction on the surface. Fresh water is a renewable resource but the world usage of clean water is resulting in a steadily decreasing supply. There is a process know as Desalination which is an artificial process by which saline water (sea water) is converted into fresh water. This process is known as reverse osmosis. This process is very expensive and very little human use is satisfied by desalination. As the world population rises at an unprecedented rate, areas that are experiencing imbalances in supply and demand increases. Water scarcity contributes to instability of regions by depleting the health of a population and obstructing economic development. This effect on regions has been termed “Water Stress”. Water stress, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, applies to situations where there is not enough water for all uses, whether agriculture, industrial or domestic. Defining thresholds for water stress is determined by a complex, entailing assumption about water and its efficiency. The factors used to determine the level of water stress that hampers economic development and human health are population growth, increased affluence, and expansion of business activity, rapid urbanization, and climate change, depletion of aquifers, pollution and water protection. The water cycle itself is important in understanding how this precious natural resource renews itself, but as mentioned earlier fresh surface water (or ground water) is what keeps life going. Usable freshwater is relatively scarce and only
References: West, L, Your Guide to Environmental Issues “Global Water Supply Drying Up as Population Grows” http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/a/watersupply.htm. Water Conservation Tips, Household Hints to Conserve Water and Money, http://www.monolake.org/waterconservation/ Climate Change – Health and Environmental Effects, Water Resources/Climate Change- Health and Environmental Effects/U.S. EPA http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effecrts/water/index.html Hydrology, The Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) Organization. http://www.uncowr.siu.edu/about.html U.S. Geological Survey: The Water Cycle http://ga.water.usgs.gov.edu/watercyclesummary.html