As regards the waterthe humans We know a lot and the we drink more. And as regards the first point, our general knowledge is not as vast as one might wish. Affirming the above is pertinent and good for answering the following question. Is there a lot of water in the world? If we stand on the edge of a cliff and look at the horizon of the sea, it seems to us that there is an unfathomable quantity. And, if from there, we move to the Sahara desert and climb to the top of a dune, we will think that water is extremely scarce and above all precious. Both experiences are extreme without ceasing to be true. So, the question arises: Is there too much or too little water in the world?
It is clear that I am asking these questions in a “funny” way, which is not intended to be annoying. It was simply intended to prepare a preamble to enter the field of data. What do you think if we clarify everything by means of questions and answers? First, I propose that we all accept that all the water that exists on Earth covers a total of 100%. And then we will start by dividing the amount contained in the different areas of the planet into percentages: Water in the oceans = 96%, Ice, snow and glaciers = 2.3%, Groundwater = 1.7%, Lakes = 0.0126%, Soil moisture = 0.0061%, Water in the atmosphere = 0.0009%, Water in rivers = 0.0002%.
To the set of all water What’s in the world it is called Hydrosphere. The same water, which forms what is called a closed, intricate system, in continuous exchange between different forms of water. The same system that the expert Jesús M. Paniagua says is “quite difficult to understand in detail.” The same system, which Mr. Paniagua himself comments on: “The amount of water is quite stable, since it seems to have hardly changed over millions of years.”
It doesn’t take much wisdom to say that most of the water is in the oceans, and that, therefore, that is where the future of humanity lies. And that, as it is, salty, it is of no use to us. It is clear, my warm readers, that future generations have to desalinate it. Because in the sense of use that we are presenting, we cannot drink it, nor use it for irrigation, which, both things, do not sustain our life.
It is also true that salt water can help in some industrial processes, especially in cooling. But there is always a catch: desalination is a complex and energy-consuming process, with little contribution (in volume) to the total amount of fresh water obtained by this method. We will discuss this issue later…
So, the key to everything is to get the very scarce fresh water (the term “sweet” is a term of endearment, not referring to its taste, obviously, but is only used in contrast to salt water). Sea water really has a lot of salt, around 35 grams per liter. For water to be considered fresh, it must have less than 0.5 grams per liter. Also, we must always keep in mind that water is subject to an endless cycle of evaporation, that is, condensation into clouds, rain or runoff (this is when the water flow that is poured over a reservoir or a natural or artificial cause). However, the fact is that this movement of water is the key to everything, because the fresh water on the planet has everything to do with the flow of rain.
To be continue…
More from the same author:
#Water
