Water - Earth's Infinite Resource!

We solve the problem we see. We see what we have chosen to look for. We choose based on our background and knowledge while basking in the comfort that others with the same understanding will make the same choice!


Labeling Water as a FINITE resource is probably the biggest obstacle to solving the Worldwide Water Crisis! 


Starting with this mind-limiting perspective (that water is a Finite resource) restricts the options that can be perceived. Even though we call other resources as finite, we are keenly aware that 
(a) There is NO resource that we have actually run out of, and
(b) Non-evolutionary changes always require coming up with a unique perspective that starts with the recognition that the "Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones!"

Source - hightonps.vic.edu.au

What's half of 11?
To someone who divides using rules of mathematics, 5.5 is half of 11.

Source - squidoo.com

To someone who divides with a vertical cut, into a left half and a right half, 1 is half of 11

To someone who divides with a horizontal cut, with a top half and a bottom half, 11 is half of 11


What's half of 8?
Depending upon how we interpret the question, half of 8 can be 4, 0 or 3.


What characteristics define water as a resource?
Water supply is characterized by the following:
A. We cannot make water.
B. We cannot destroy water.
C. We cannot transform water, like we can oil ... say, into electricity
D. Water is a circulatory resource. The circulation process is called the Water Cycle or the Hydrological Cycle.
E. The Water Cycle never ends.
F. There is evidence that the Water Cycle can speed up and slow down, under specific circumstances.
G. Water, in every stage of the circulation process, is regularly recharged or replenished.
H. Naturally occurring bodies of water (e.g. lakes and rivers) and man-made reservoirs do run dry.
I. Empty reservoirs, devoid of water, may not be replenished ever again.


The above characteristics lead to the conclusion, especially by those of us who focus on reservoirs running dry, that water is a finite resource.


However, for those among us who focus on the flow in the Water Cycle and recognize that water flows will speed up when the Water Cycle speeds up, water is an unlimited and virtually infinite resource.

A Crisis in Water Supply Exists Everywhere

Every place on Earth has experienced a water supply crisis sometime in history. And the future is not expected to be any different - every place on Earth is expected to be hit with a crisis in water supply sometime in the future.


Drought
Drought is the worst form of water crisis. It is a term applied to locations that have experienced NO RAIN for an extended period of time. 

Source - thedailygreen.com

Drought maps have been produced for the world, and no continent is immune from severe drought except the polar regions that are awash in water and ice, and where no large human presence exists and where no human activity is performed.

Source - standeyo.com

It needs to be recognized that even areas not highlighted to experience any drought will have "minor" crisis with their water supplies. For example, some may find their water temporarily polluted and unsafe to drink; others may experience a break in the aging infrastructure that will temporarily cut their supply; others may simply get no rain to replenish reservoirs and a temporary restriction may be imposed on water usage.


The water crisis exists all over the world, but with varying impact. And everywhere there exists (a) the atmosphere, that contains water in vapor and liquid form and (b) Wind that continues to deliver water-laden air everywhere.

HOW to THINK, to Quench the World's Thirst?

NO, NOT THIS FATHER'S KIND OF THINKING:

Source - The Los Angeles Times Newspaper

YES, WITH THE KIND OF THINKING IN THIS NOTE:
Please visit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904836104576559021141320808.html?mod=ITP_opinion_1#articleTabs%3Darticle%26mg%3Dcom-wsj

WATER - Our #1 Choice to Soothe Our Soul

There are many memorials to September 11 but only one National Memorial. The competition for it was fierce and hotly debated but what eventually got everyone's nod centers on water to showcase everything we feel about the events of September 11.


The September 11 National Memorial in Manhattan, NY USA

A Pool at the Footprint of Each Tower
Source - gearthblog.com

An inside edge of the North Reflecting Pool
Source - New York Times; Pool photo by David Handschuh

Names Inscribed on the Edge of Each Pool
Source - wnyc.org

A Rose on a Name on September 11, 2011
Source - ibtimes.com

Precipitation - Our Only Continuous Water Source

Nature's Water Cycle makes water available in a number of steps that makeup the continuous cycle. We obtain most of our water from two sources: (1) Existing moving bodies of water (e.g. river), and relatively stagnant bodies of water (like lakes and water from underground aquifers) and (2) Precipitation i.e. rainfall. 

Precipitation's role

 

Rainfall
Source - sites.google.com

Precipitation from the atmosphere, in the form of snow/sleet/hail and rain, is the only source that replenishes liquid water available from all other sources. 

Any increase in river flows, any rise in the water level of lakes and seas, and any rise in the water table is the direct result of precipitation. 

State of Worldwide Water

The majority of water (70%+) is used in agriculture. Starting with the Green Revolution in the late 1950s, humans have tapped existing water bodies to the extent that many are over depleted and increasingly scarce. 

Under normal circumstances, rainfall would have any depletion. However, as our extraction rate continues to be much greater than that which can be madeup by rain, many of the historical water bodies are no longer available as dependable sources of water.

The obvious solution is to increase precipitation and/or reduce water withdrawals i.e figure out how to get more rain and/or make agriculture more water efficient!