We use water every day. And if you are in Canada like me, you probably have safe, clean drinking water. Now, as we all know, water from the oceans is not safe for issue and drink. We cannot just use water from any random source. So, how is it treated? Is it treated the same way everywhere? In fact, there is a lot about drinking water that I did not learn until this unit.
The following consists of what I have learned in this unit about water systems and water quality; and also some questions that I have asked myself for further study.
What does Sustainability mean?
Sustainability (explained informally) is the measure of how long something lasts, and how good its quality is. In relation to safe drinking water, sustainability suggests the measurement of how clean our water is, and how reliable are the water systems that provide us with this clean water. A sustainable water system will have to consistently produce standardized healthy and safe drinking water on a daily basis without ous worrying that it will one day not be accessible anymore.
Something I learned in this term about sustainability was that to have a sustainable water source, you will need a durable source of water and a viable system to convert it into water that is safe for use. Yet, how is sustainability actually measured? Even in Canada, where we have one of the most sustainable water sources, there are still many problems and conflicts. Every now and then, leaks in major water systems throw gallons of precious drinking water down the drain. Also, the recurring concerns about water quality in some areas (First Nations Reserves, etc.) create doubt in whether how ‘good’ our water system is. Of course, these are minor issues compared to countries that are desperately lacking clean water. What I take away is that just like everything else, no water system is truly sustainable and perfect. We just need a comparison factor to determine whether or not we have a long-lasting, efficient water supply.
As water evaporates from the oceans, what happens to the total amount of water on Earth? Explain.
This question causes me to believe that some people will think that the total amount of water on earth will lessen when water evaporates from the oceans. Let us analyze what actually happens during the evaporation process of the water cycle!
When water evaporates from the oceans, it travels up into the atmosphere to begin its next life as a condensated cloud. The atmosphere is not on earth, it is above it, so we could say that water on the surface of the earth lessens when evaporation happens. However, there is not enough room in the sky for all water to suddenly become clouds. Theoretically, as water evaporates from one ocean, water should rain down somewhere else to balance the amount in lands, oceans, and skies.
Also, no water on earth naturally goes into space or anywhere else other than earth. It stays in the ecosystem of the earth as a fuel for living organisms. Although it may not always be on the surface of the earth, it will always be somewhere with the atmosphere because there are ozone layers protecting water from leaving the earth. Water travels through many cycles and many different forms, but it stays on earth, making the amount of water constant.
Thus, we can say that the amount of water on earth stays unchanged when water evaporates from the oceans.
Anyways, thanks for reading this article with no specific purpose.
(Its for school)
