Earth and Her Water
Earth and Her Water: A visualization of Planet Earth's crusts with water pulled aside
This is Earth and Her Water. I know it seems crazy, but it is accurate. The Earth's water is a precious resource not only because it is rare in our universe, but rare here too.
This picture can be misleading. The shadows cast by the edge of the Pacific plates around North and South America is greatly exaggerated. Look at how SHALLOW the Atlantic basin is!
The Large Blue Sphere is all of Earth’s water aged 4.7 Billion Years
The Second Blue Sphere is all The Water in the Ice Caps North and South
The Third Tiny Blue Sphere is all the water in Earth’s Lakes, Rivers, and Streams we have access to
The Earth is fairly large terrestrial planet. The diameter of the Earth is 12,756 Km (7,926 miles) but at it's DEEPEST point, the Marianas trench the Earth's ocean is only 11 Km (7 Miles). That is a ratio of depth to diameter of 1/100,000.
The atmosphere is not much thicker - our breathable atmosphere is at best, 9 Km deep. That is also 1/100,000. The Earth really is mostly rock, despite what it looks like from space!
An Actual Portrait of Our WATER Planet?
These are puddles of water between continents. We call them oceans.
Water Water Everywhere...
Water Water Everywhere But Not a Drop to Drink.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
This is a favorite quote about water. Everyone envisions the Earth's oceans as nearly endless pools of water. They are not, they are shallow puddles beneath a paper thin atmosphere of air and water.
The water on earth is a closed fountain. All the water in the oceans, sees, lakes, rivers and ice caps of the world - this world - are contained in that top marble. All of it. The second marble is water in the ice caps, the smaller is the fresh water.
The Pixel You Can't See
There is a pixel about the size of metropolitan Los Angeles that is the drinkable water on this planet. That water is being constantly used, evaporated and replaced. That is the water that has been on this planet for about 3.8 Billion years.
Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose
You read that right. This planet does not make more water. It uses the water it has over and over again endlessly. This is the water cycle.
When scientists say that Earth is an enclosed ecosystem, this is what they mean. We have finite resources. We need to respect and understand those resources.
The Water Cycle
This is why at Mezzacello, I am very committed to water purification, collection, and conservation. When water evaporates, it does come back to Earth, but it may never come back to where it left.
The earth is dynamic! The atmosphere, that tissue thin layer of pressurized gases and water that shields us from the vacuum of space and solar radiation literally moves that water where it needs it. Those clouds are frequent travelers.
The History of Water
Think about the next time you are wasting water. you are wasting the gift of billions of years and billions of comets that brought the Earth water billions of years ago. Trilobites, Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and your great great great great great grandparents all used that same water.
Please don't waste it.
