SCI 1102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Water Cycle, Aquifer, Ramsar Convention
Document Summary
Coastal wetlands straddle the boundary between the land and the ocean, and these wetlands are disappearing beneath the waters of the gulf of mexico. Louisiana lose 65km of coastal wetlands each year. Comparisons of wetlands area from the mid 1800s the early 1990s show drastic losses s. Freshwater systems (cid:862)water, (cid:449)ate(cid:396) e(cid:448)e(cid:396)y(cid:449)he(cid:396)e, (cid:374)o(cid:396) a(cid:374)y d(cid:396)op to d(cid:396)i(cid:374)k(cid:863) line from the poem the rime of the ancient mariner. Water may seem abundant but water we drink is rare and limited. 97. 5% of earth water resides in oceans & is too salty to drink or to use to water crops. Only 2. 5% of water is considered freshwater: water that is relatively pure with few dissolved salts. Most freshwater is tied up in glaciers, icecaps, and underground aquifiers: over 1 part in 10k of earths water is easily accessible for human use. Water is renewed, and recycled as it moves through the water cycle.
