the Earth covering by waters75 percent just not most of Florida
There's nothing more refreshing than diving into a swimming pool on a hot day; or more relaxing than fishing Lake June-in-Winter; or more civilizing than a long hot shower.
Water is such an important, pleasant part of our lives we often take it for granted, which can be a problem, because water is more than important. It was and still is, essential for life.
To drive that point home, here are a few water facts as outlined in a report by the Institute of Science and Public Affairs at Florida State University, published in 2002. Its lead author is Elizabeth D. Purdum.
All over the world, water is continuously circulating between the sky, land and sea.
It is the only substance that exists in nature as a liquid, a solid and a gas.
Unlike most liquids, however, water expands rather than shrinks when cooled, which is why water is lighter when frozen and floats.
Plants and animals are between 50 and 97 percent water -- the human body is 70 percent water.
The vast majority of the water on Earth, however, is salt water. Only 3 percent is fresh water, and only 1 percent of that is available for use.
Here in Florida we depend entirely on local rainfall to meet our fresh water needs.
The state has a hydrologic divide that runs roughly from Gainesville to Daytona Beach. Only 44 percent of the state's rain falls south of this divide, yet the area is home to 78 percent of the state's permanent population and accounts for 75 percent of the state's water use.
Rain water flows through the state's canals, rivers and lakes -- from which many communities pump their irrigation. Rain also drains slowly into the aquifer, where it is pumped out for human consumption.
With a state population of more than 15 million people, our heavy water use has contributed to the shrinkage of lakes, creation of sink holes and saltwater intrusion.
But changing weather patterns have significant impact as well.
Take the most recent information from the South Florida Water Management District .
October, November and December of 2010 were the three driest months since record keeping began in 1932. Rain fall averaged less than three inches throughout SFWMD's 16 counties, which is roughly 35 percent of the normal. And that drought came on top of a year that was already drier than normal; and 2010 came after several years of below-average rain fall.
All of this means we need to remain water conscious and continue to do our best conserving water.
Oh, we know -- who wants to hear, yet again, how important it is to turn off the faucet while brushing our teeth, and who wants to shift from automatically controlling an irrigation system to getting out and doing it by hand. It's all such a nuisance.
Sadly, we can kick and scream as much as we like, fume with the perceived unfairness, blame our politicians, utility heads and scientists -- or simply ignore the situation.
But, nature is what it is. We would do best sticking to reality.
An inconvenience, while annoying, is nothing compared to dying of thirst. Read More ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment