Vast Freshwater Reserve is Found Under Ocean Floor
Vast freshwater reserves have been discovered under the ocean floor which scientists believe could sustain future generations.
Australian researchers claim to have found 500,000 cubic kilometres (120,000 cubic miles) of freshwater buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.
The discovery comes as United Nations estimates suggest water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of the population of the world over the last century.
Australian researchers have discovered vast freshwater reserves beneath the seabed on continental shelves
Lead author Vincent Post, from Flinders University, said: ‘The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we've extracted from the Earth's sub-surface in the past century since 1900.
‘Freshwater on our planet is increasingly under stress and strain so the discovery of significant new stores off the coast is very exciting.'
Hard to imagine how a planet that is 75% water somehow runs out of water. If I was truly worried, I would get a rain barrel and a portable hiking filter.
Oh wait, I'm not worried and I DO have a rain barrel and a portable hiking filter.
__________________ I'd rather meander for the prevention than race for the cure.
Man, no kidding! Seems the fires come before the rain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jfh
Only thing missing in my area, central TX, is rain. Reservoir diminishing. Population booming in the Austin / Round Rock area.
.
My buddy in Az. belongs to a neighborhood well co-op. His dad lives up the street and chooses to get delivery instead. The delivery is far better water than my local municipality sells me, and priced about the same, too. Go figure.
The Texas Hill Country is found in Central Texas and consists of rolling to hilly grasslands. Average rainfall in this area is between 15 and 34 inches per year.
Texas Plains
Much of the South Texas Plains is covered with dry grasses and thorny bushes like mesquite. Average rainfall in this region is 20 to 32 inches per year, but net evaporation rates are quite high in the summer months. Average rainfall in the Panhandle Plains region is 15 to 28 inches per year.
Big Bend Country
In Big Bend Country, you will find extremes in climate and temperature. The average rainfall for this region is 8 to 20 inches with extremely high net evaporation rates.
Hard to imagine how a planet that is 75% water somehow runs out of water.
I know, right?!!
Problem is..
Quote:
Ninety-eight percent of the water on the planet is in the oceans, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt. About 2 percent of the planet's water is fresh, but 1.6 percent of the planet's water is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers. Another 0.36 percent is found underground in aquifers and wells. Only about 0.036 percent of the planet's total water supply is found in lakes and rivers. That's still thousands of trillions of gallons, but it's a very small amount compared to all the water available.
Vast Freshwater Reserve is Found Under Ocean Floor
Linear Mode
