LA 1201 Lecture : Water - Guest Speaker Notes
Document Summary
We are all downstream from someone else. 97% of the volume of earth"s water is in oceans and seas. Less than 1% of earth"s water is fit for consumption. Less than 1% of earth"s water is in the ground and soil. Water has the highest measured heat capacity of all known substances. The more water in the atmosphere, the more moderating its effect on temperature and the fewer deviations in weather. Less water in the atmosphere has more extreme temperatures and more deviations in weather. Dead zone coast off of louisiana that has no oxygen between the sea bed and the sea surface; anything that gets stuck in the dead zone dies. Runoff rates: natural ground cover: <1% - 10% runoff, 50% infiltration, 12 -20% impervious: 20% runoff, 42% infiltration, 30% imperious is the average subdivision. Part of the problem is that we move all vegetation and most topsoil in construction zones, which decreases storm water storage by 90%
