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Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

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181–190 of 197 posts

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you point to a change in your local normal climate as showing there isn't... climate change? Just trying to clarify what you are trying to say here?

Climate has always changed…it’s a feature of the earth, not a bug…you being born is part of the climate change. When you decompose, that will also be part of the climate change. The magnitude of your so called calculations is minuscule compared to the life of earth and merely speculation just like stocks on Wall Street. Don’t try to control something you did not invent. You’re welcome!

Of course climate has always changed. It's just that in the past it changed over the course of thousands or millions of years rather than within the span of a human lifetime like we're now experiencing.

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#182
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of leaving out the main point there. People don't use a lot of water. Industry and Farming do. We depend on both of those for...pretty much our entire society.

Water-intensive industrial processes can move to where the water is. Farming is more of a challenge but some crops need more water than others; there's a lot of scope for substitution.

Because all of that's going to be cheap right? In a nation which loses its mind even gas prices go up 20c?

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article also states “climate change and human activities increasingly threaten lakes that store 87% of Earth’s liquid surface fresh water”, but neglects to mention that only 0.3% of freshwater is liquid surface water in the first place. All in all a giant nothing burger, as with so many climate change alarmist “science” nowadays. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/sci...

The link you point to claims 1.2% of fresh water is surface water, fyi. According to the link, the bulk is in glaciers and icebergs (~69% - nice). 30% is ground water, which is cool and all, but replenishes slowly from what I know. Not to lecture but write out my thoughts, I feel like the discussion on climate change consistently revolves around who supports or opposes the idea and who/what is to blame. To me, lookin…

Yes 1.2% is on the surface, but most of that is frozen. Only 0.3% is liquid surface water, as I said.

As for the rest, so much of the discussion seems to rest on a sort of cognitive dissonance people hold that on one hand humans are terrible for the planet and our horrible actions must be stopped, but on the other we must do everything possible to keep humanity going on forever. To me this doesn’t jive - if humanity is so awful, let us die and let this astronomically mind-bogglingly fertile rock bring about new life that might perhaps learn from our mistakes. If not, stop all the damn doomsaying. It doesn’t make for interesting reading, it’s without fail entirely speculative, and there’s evidence to suggest many of the youth have become severely depressed by it - far beyond what the “science” could possibly support. A dear cousin of mine recently killed himself before the age of 18; it’s impossible to know all the reasons, but based on his writings climate change terror was a significant part of it.

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet they built aqueducts and wells too. Local surface water has been insufficient for civilization for at least 2000 years. > The underground aquifiers under midwest and under much of middle east will be gone in 50 years and will never return > You should not incorrect people here without basic facts at your disposal Nothing quite as HN as someone making bold alarmist unsupported assertions about the future of cl…

Are you at odds with basic addition or something? We are pumping out the aquifers faster than they recharge. Basic math lets you calculate that they will run out in a few decades. The aquifers are left over from the ice age. Once depleted, the aquifer will take over 6,000 years to replenish naturally through rainfall.

So we now agree the aquifers have the capacity to refill on human timescales, especially given climate change is suspected to have a tendency to cause more rainfall. And by your omission I’ll take that we agree civilization cannot exist without significant engineering efforts to bring water to it, surface or otherwise. I don’t really know what’s left to say, besides hurling personal attacks back and forth as you seem want to steer this.

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#185
post #118
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC These can have thier own host of problems because the 'brine' byproduct doesn't mix well back into the ocean and can settle/pool and create marine dead zones. Although suppose that will be less of a priority if people are thirsty.

There are commercial salt harvesting operations which use such brine. No need to flush it back in the ocean. If you have ever flown into SFO you have seen the reddish pools. (By the way the red color comes from Brine Shrimp, which presumably there is also use for) https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/salt-ponds-san-francisco

And it’s not just salt. Other chemicals can be harvested from that brine before you need to dispose of the leftovers, e.g. magnesium carbonate. I know because I run a climbing company that sells chalk (MgCO3) from that production pathway.

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#186

It fascinates me how things have obvious consequences but human race just ignore them till literally everything is burning. As it is with water shortages, climate change or Hitler.

A sizable majority (including in the US) recognize the danger of global warming, but are politically blocked from taking action by the actions of a small group of extremely wealthy individuals and corporations working to maintain the status quo to their benefit.

Don’t forget - major voting blocs.

Very few people want to impact farmers negatively, because of the way farming is romanticized almost everywhere across the globe.

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article also states “climate change and human activities increasingly threaten lakes that store 87% of Earth’s liquid surface fresh water”, but neglects to mention that only 0.3% of freshwater is liquid surface water in the first place. All in all a giant nothing burger, as with so many climate change alarmist “science” nowadays. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/sci...

You would think that on a planetary scale, climate change result in more water, not less. Increased oceanic surface temperatures would cause more storms and thus more rain.

Hot air retains more water then cold air.

https://climate.nasa.gov/explore/ask-nasa-climate/3143/steam...

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a conscious choice the citizens made every day for the last century, just like America chose freedom. What's the other countries excuses?

Freedom from what? Britain?

Freedom for weapons

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It must be nice to live in a country that manages their natural resources with an eye towards long-term sustainability.

It won’t be nice when the country is invaded by another country for its water reserves. See: the Middle East

their occupation will be succeeded quickly by that of the sea

Re: Satellites reveal widespread decline in global lake water storage

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>it's that is is staggeringly expensive to do so. Necessity is the mother of all invention, and with Necessity also comes scale, and with scale comes less cost... Desalination has been expensive because it is not necessary, the second it becomes necessary I bet you will see the costs drop.. If nestle had to use Sea water to fill their bottles I bet they would have a cheap way to do it right quick

There’s the rules of physics to consider. There are more than a few places where desalination is necessary, and we still haven’t come up with a way to make it cheap. The current issue is that there is just no way that we know of to reliably desalinate that isn’t super energy intensive, so it comes down to trading energy for water. That’s why desalination is expensive.

It seems that solar energy has gotten real cheap in recent years, especially in places without clouds and rain (deserts).

So maybe that will work out in the end if the economics make water expensive enough to trade energy for water.

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