We are running out of water.

Originally posted by yorkshirelad

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by wlasikiewicz
reply to post by cavalryscout

 

The whole "ice cap melting = sea levels rising" argument is a hoax.

edit on 28-3-2012 by AwakeinNM because: (no reason given)

If we only consider the Arctic then you are correct. BUT when you consider the ice above land in Greenland and Antarctica then you are are way way way wrong.

Total Greenland ice melt - sea level rise 7.2m
Total Antarctic ice melt - sea level rise 61m

NB It does NOT have to melt! It merely has to slip into the sea something that has been observed with some ice sheets.

edit on 28-3-2012 by yorkshirelad because: messed up the quoting

That is if it ALL melts, right. Is it all melting? While we've seen smaller maximum extents of polar ice in winter, it is not completely melting. The melting polar ice fearmongering is way way way way out of control.

Originally posted by wlasikiewicz
reply to post by cavalryscout

 

When the polar caps melt they raise see level a few millimeters. I don't think that the water level is decreasing despite those reports.

When the ice caps melt the water goes into the sea... You cannot drink sea water, and desalination is very expensive with current tech.

The problem is loss of fresh drinking water. Fresh water only makes a small fraction of the planets total water supply.

Poor management, agricultural irrigation, pollution from industry and climate change all have a severe impact on the worlds fresh water supplies.

Peace

reply to post by cavalryscout


Oh... by the way, great thread cavalryscout S+F

Something else to consider is that as CO2 levels rise, plants begin to hoard water as a result.
I remember reading an article about this some time ago. I'll see if I can find a link.

[eta]

I didn't find the exact article I read a few years back, but I found a news article about this subject from last year.

link

reply to post by cavalryscout


Great thread....I actually wrote about this in a college paper....Geography major here....as I started collecting research I was scaring myself in how much of an issue the lack of fresh water is. You will see countries go to war over fresh water in the next 20 years and you could even see US states having civil wars over fresh water in 50yrs. Just my prediction.

However maybe by then we will have solar powered desalination plants and everything will be ok!

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by voyagerboy

 

But what is even worse is the citizens don't care and use water at greater amounts then those of us on the east coast where it is abundant.

So I have little sympathy for them.

While I recognize that our water resources are scarce and I feel for those in more affected areas, I also agree that it's hard to have a lot of sympathy for those who dwell in the desert. One of these days, those poor souls will show up on your doorstep though, and then it will be your problem.

VB

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

That is if it ALL melts, right. Is it all melting? While we've seen smaller maximum extents of polar ice in winter, it is not completely melting. The melting polar ice fearmongering is way way way way out of control.

It hasn't melted yet, but that's not saying it won't. Not only are the poles losing their ice, but it's happening at an accelerated pace, far quicker than anyone originally thought.

link 1

link 2




Not only that, but water shortages (clean water that is) are beginning to show in the way people are obtaining their fresh water.

link 3

reply to post by voyagerboy


I'm not kidding, and I'm afraid you are mistaken... According to the USGS ground water research that's conducted pretty much daily, we have lots of ground water. Click this for accurate maps and information

Now aside from that endless supply of water, what do you think about the great lakes? Is that ocean sized body of freshwater just gonna disappear in the next century?

reply to post by voyagerboy


I doubt it. Those poor souls wouldn't know the first thing about what to do in our country.

They'd rather stay in familiar territory.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


That's assuming you'll have access to that water. Wasn't it T. Boone Pickens that was sucking up well water (millions upon millions of gallons) and hoarding it, believing it to be the "new oil?"

[What he's draining]

reply to post by Starchild23


This thread reminds us to wake up and realize it's 2012, and reality is biting back.

Originally posted by FugitiveSoul
reply to post by W3RLIED2

 

That's assuming you'll have access to that water. Wasn't it T. Boone Pickens that was sucking up well water (millions upon millions of gallons) and hoarding it, believing it to be the "new oil?"

[What he's draining]

And where is he storing it, exactly?

Who knows? That's not my problem or my point. My point is, he's taking water, that would normally be pumped through people wells for free, and is, in turn, selling it off.

I know he's sold some already to Texas.

just because there is water in the ocean and some water underground does NOT mean that we shouldn't worry. i'm in texas and we are in a severe drought which has lowered our water table drastically. if it were to be gone we'd have to get water from another state. you know how much that would cost????

and think about the cost of shipping water in from the ocean AFTER cleaning it up and making it drinkable. we'd be in a serious crisis. if people think gas prices are something to complain about can you imagine if we had to pay to import all the water from the ocean? not everyone lives seaside.

obviously i'm not arguing with the OP whom i agree with. water is one of our many problems.

Originally posted by FugitiveSoul

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

That is if it ALL melts, right. Is it all melting? While we've seen smaller maximum extents of polar ice in winter, it is not completely melting. The melting polar ice fearmongering is way way way way out of control.

It hasn't melted yet, but that's not saying it won't. Not only are the poles losing their ice, but it's happening at an accelerated pace, far quicker than anyone originally thought.

link 1

link 2

Not only that, but water shortages (clean water that is) are beginning to show in the way people are obtaining their fresh water.

link 3

edit on 28-3-2012 by FugitiveSoul because: (no reason given)

Alrighty then, using your source, what would you say that an eyeball guesstimate would be for that area of decline in the arctic? Maybe 40%, 50%? Now how much higher have sea levels risen between the first graphic and the second? Centimeters?

So if it all melted, you'd get double the current rise in sea level, which would be maybe a few more centimeters, not tens of meters like you claim.

Are you sure those represent the same season as well? Are they maximums or minimums? Lots of opportunity to spin the data here.

reply to post by FugitiveSoul


Agreed.

But it's not surprising that the dust bowl region of North America has considerably less water, now, is it?

Thousands of years of mammals following water to survive is an indication to me that there's enough to sustain us all. Look at Africa. They have far more troubles with water than we do yet they survive. Teaching them to adopt modern cleaning methods is another story, but my point remains the same. The water is available, getting that water is another story but ultimately it is never going to run out.

reply to post by W3RLIED2


Well, groundwater isn't our only source for water, and this discussion isn't solely about the United States. (80% of our water use comes from surface water and remaining from ground water. So if the surface water goes south, those aquifers will deplete rapidly)

I can appreciate the fact that our supplies of water in the US are in better shape than most places, but I'm worried about Asian, Africa, Europe, etc. I'm not here to argue that the US is going to run out today, tomorrow, or next year, so don't assume I'm saying so. (referring to your snarky Great Lakes comment) But I do believe that for some regions of the world it is that serious.

VB

reply to post by W3RLIED2


Saying that water is "never going to run out" is in some ways true because of the earth's water cycle. However, with the population increasing the way it is, there will at some point not be enough to supply everyone at once...

VB

As the world population gets bigger the demand for fresh water increases to grow food and due to rising industry the chance of contaminating the fresh water supplies increase.

www.commondreams.org...

www.nasca.org.uk...

www.usatoday.com...

www.nextgenpe.com...

To me this is as bad if not worse than global warming (both go hand in hand) some studies say 70% of the worlds population will not have adequate water supplies by 2025...thats only 13 years away....frightening.

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Alrighty then, using your source, what would you say that an eyeball guesstimate would be for that area of decline in the arctic? Maybe 40%, 50%? Now how much higher have sea levels risen between the first graphic and the second? Centimeters?

So if it all melted, you'd get double the current rise in sea level, which would be maybe a few more centimeters, not tens of meters like you claim.

Where did I claim that sea levels would rise, let alone rise "10s of meters?" I never commented on that. I merely commented on the fact that the caps are disappearing. In fact, even though I've mentioned that the poles are shrinking, all of my posts thus far in this thread have been about the decrease in liquid water, not an increase.

Are you sure those represent the same season as well? Are they maximums or minimums? Lots of opportunity to spin the data here.

They're both winter. Here's a better example.




reply to post by boymonkey74


starred

Originally posted by boymonkey74
As the world population gets bigger the demand for fresh water increases to grow food and due to rising industry the chance of contaminating the fresh water supplies increase.

www.commondreams.org...

www.nasca.org.uk...

www.usatoday.com...

www.nextgenpe.com...

To me this is as bad if not worse than global warming (both go hand in hand) some studies say 70% of the worlds population will not have adequate water supplies by 2025...thats only 13 years away....frightening.

Great reply boymonkey! I love those articles. It's an incredibly frightening problem and one that will affect everyone regardless of where you live. (migration, price increases, etc.)

Well done-

VB