Reserves of fresh water on Earth: approximate volumes, the problem of water shortage, interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Water is life. And if a person can survive for a while without food, it is almost impossible to do this without water. Since the heyday of mechanical engineering, the manufacturing industry, water has become polluted too quickly and without much attention from man. Then the first calls about the importance of the preservation of water resources appeared. And if, in general, there is enough water, then the fresh water reserves on Earth make up a negligible fraction of this volume. Let's deal with this issue together.

Water: how much it is, and in what form it exists

Water is an important part of our life. And it is she who makes up most of our planet. Humanity uses this extremely important resource every day: household needs, production needs, agricultural work and much more.

Weused to think that water has one state, but in fact it has three forms:

• liquid;
• gas/steam;
• solid state (ice);

In a liquid state, it is found in all water basins on the surface of the Earth (rivers, lakes, seas, oceans) and in the bowels of the soil (groundwater). In the solid state, we see it in snow and ice. In gaseous form, it appears as puffs of steam, clouds.

For these reasons, it is problematic to calculate what is the supply of fresh water on Earth. But according to preliminary data, the total volume of water is about 1.386 billion cubic kilometers. Moreover, 97.5% is s alt water (undrinkable) and only 2.5% is fresh water.

Reserves of fresh water on Earth

The largest accumulation of fresh water is concentrated in the glaciers and snows of the Arctic and Antarctica (68.7%). Next come groundwater (29.9%) and only an incredibly small part (0.26%) is concentrated in rivers and lakes. It is from there that humanity draws the water resources necessary for life.

The global water cycle is changing regularly, and as a result, the numbers change as well. But in general, the picture looks exactly like this. The main reserves of fresh water on Earth are in glaciers, snow and groundwater, and its extraction from these sources is very problematic. Perhaps not in the distant future, mankind will have to turn their eyes to these sources of fresh water.

Where is the most fresh water

Let's take a closer look at the sources of fresh water, and find out which part of the planet has the most of it:

• Snow and ice at the North Pole is 1/10 of the total fresh water reserve.
• Groundwater today also serves as one of the main sources of water production.
• Fresh water lakes and rivers are usually located at high elevations. This water basin contains the main reserves of fresh water on Earth. Canada's lakes contain 50% of the world's total freshwater lakes.
• River systems cover about 45% of our planet's land mass. Their number is 263 water basin units suitable for drinking.

From the above, it becomes obvious that the distribution of fresh water reserves is uneven. Somewhere there is more of it, and somewhere it is negligible. There is one more corner of the planet (except Canada), where the largest reserves of fresh water on Earth. These are the countries of Latin America, 1/3 of the total world volume is located here.

The largest freshwater lake is Baikal. It is located in our country and is protected by the state, listed in the Red Book.

Shortage of usable water

If we go from the opposite, then the mainland that needs life-giving moisture the most is Africa. Many countries are concentrated here, and all have the same problem with the water resource. In some areas it is extremely small, but somewhere it simply does not exist. Where the rivers flow, the quality of the water leaves much to be desiredbest, it is at a very low level.

For these reasons, more than half a million people do not receive water of the required quality, and, as a result, suffer from many infectious diseases. According to statistics, 80% of cases of diseases are associated with the quality of the fluid consumed.

Sources of water pollution

Measures for the conservation of water are a strategically important component of our lives. The supply of fresh water is not an inexhaustible resource. And, moreover, its value is small relative to the total volume of all waters. Let's look at the sources of pollution so we know how we can reduce or minimize these factors:

• Wastewater. Numerous rivers and lakes were destroyed by wastewater from various industries, from houses and apartments (household slag), from agro-industrial complexes and much more.
• Burial of household waste and equipment in the seas and oceans. This type of disposal of rockets and other space instruments that have served their time is very often practiced. It is worth considering that living organisms live in reservoirs, and this greatly affects their he alth and water quality.
• Industry ranks first among the causes of water pollution and the entire ecosystem as a whole.
• Radioactive substances, spreading through water bodies, infect flora and fauna, make water unsuitable for drinking, as well as the life of organisms.
• Leakage of oily products. Over time, metal containers that store oroil is transported, subject to corrosion, respectively, water pollution is the result of this. Precipitation containing acids can affect the state of the reservoir.

There are many more sources, the most common ones are described here. In order to keep Earth's fresh water supplies as long as possible suitable for consumption, they must be taken care of now.

Water reserve in the bowels of the planet

We have already found out that the largest reserve of drinking water is in glaciers, snows and in the soil of our planet. In the bowels of fresh water reserves on Earth are 1.3 billion cubic kilometers. But, in addition to the difficulties in obtaining it, we are faced with problems that are associated with its chemical properties. Water is not always fresh, sometimes its salinity reaches 250 grams per 1 liter. Most often there are waters with a predominance of chlorine and sodium in their composition, less often - with sodium and calcium or sodium and magnesium. Fresh groundwater is located closer to the surface, and at a depth of up to 2 kilometers, s alt water is most often found.

What are we using this precious resource for?

Almost 70% of our water is used to support the agricultural industry. In each region, this value fluctuates in different ranges. About 22% we spend on all world production. And only 8% of the rest goes to household needs.

Reducing the water reserve of drinking water threatens more than 80 countries. Ithas a significant impact not only on social, but also economic well-being. It is necessary to look for a solution to this issue now. Thus, reduced consumption of drinking water is not a solution, but only exacerbates the problem. Every year, the supply of fresh water decreases to a value of 0.3%, while not all sources of fresh water are available to us.