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Scientists Discover Massive Freshwater Reserves Underneath The Ocean Floor
BI/Agence France Presse ^ | 12-5-2013

Posted on 12/05/2013 6:52:52 AM PST by blam

Scientists Discover Massive Freshwater Reserves Underneath The Ocean Floor

Agence France Presse
Dec. 5, 2013, 7:22 AM

Australian researchers said Thursday they had established the existence of vast freshwater reserves trapped beneath the ocean floor which could sustain future generations as current sources dwindle.

Lead author Vincent Post, from Australia's Flinders University, said that an estimated 500,000 cubic kilometres (120,000 cubic miles) of low-salinity water had been found buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.

"The volume of this water resource is a hundred times greater than the amount we've extracted from the Earth's sub-surface in the past century since 1900," said Post of the study, published in the latest edition of Nature.

"Freshwater on our planet is increasingly under stress and strain so the discovery of significant new stores off the coast is very exciting.

"It means that more options can be considered to help reduce the impact of droughts and continental water shortages."

UN Water, the United Nations' water agency, estimates that water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population in the last century due to demands such as irrigated agriculture and meat production.

More than 40 percent of the world's population already live in conditions of water scarcity. By 2030, UN Water estimates that 47 percent of people will exist under high water stress.

Post said his team's findings were drawn from a review of seafloor water studies done for scientific or oil and gas exploration purposes.

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: beijinganomaly; catastrophism; freshwater; idiocygreens; malthusiannonsense; oceans; originoftheoceans; subduction; tethysocean; wadatibenioffzone; water
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To: blam

What about the effect on global climate change and species eradication?


41 posted on 12/05/2013 7:55:28 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: Dysart
The author must excuse me, but current supplies are "dwindling" to where exactly? In the current warm inter-glacial climate the water cycle for the most part is an open loop system where most of it remains in liquid and accessible form.

During an ice age much of it becomes "trapped" in glaciation and the global climate and humanity might then suffer a shortage of available water. We are no doubt headed in that direction, although whether it will happen in the 21st or 22nd centuries, or tens of thousands of years out isn't yet clear. But when it does I somehow think we will be able to cope.

Pollution is of course a separate problem but can be solved (and has been largely solved in the "evil white European descendant" countries) through reasonable environmental regulation and investment in technology, including desalination from sea water.

He will have to forgive me. I am cursed with a 1960's middle and high school science education plus some college courses in geology. My education must lack the heavy gravitas of a journalism degree.

42 posted on 12/05/2013 7:59:37 AM PST by katana (Just my opinions)
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To: blam
...as current sources dwindle.

Huh? It's stopped raining? Rivers are drying up?

43 posted on 12/05/2013 8:00:30 AM PST by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: blam
OH, NOES! We are running out of (fill in the blank).
44 posted on 12/05/2013 8:00:40 AM PST by JPG (Yes We Can morphs into Make It Hurt.)
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To: Dysart
Way down.. below the ocean... where I wanna be.... she may be....
45 posted on 12/05/2013 8:01:39 AM PST by RckyRaCoCo (Shall Not Be Infringed)
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To: lurk

BUT! BUT! BUT!

Just ask anyone in the oil business and they will tell you drilling a well offshore is so cheap.

Scientist are so smart.


46 posted on 12/05/2013 8:06:50 AM PST by IMR 4350
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To: blam

(for all we know) there is more water underground than there is above ground (including the oceans).


47 posted on 12/05/2013 8:07:00 AM PST by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: BitWielder1
Is it worth the effort and cost of deep sea drilling? It's not that difficult to desalinate ocean water.

Desalination isn't difficult, but it is energy intensive and therefore quite expensive. Once the infrastructure is in place for recovering undersea water, it's just a matter of literally pumping the water back to a reservoir on shore. A lot more cost effective over the long run. And, considering that you wouldn't have nearly the same costs drilling for and transporting water as you would have with oil (environmental and safety regs), I would think the whole evolution would be quite cost effective for areas without much annual rain fall.
48 posted on 12/05/2013 8:08:23 AM PST by rottndog ('Live Free Or Die' Ain't just words on a bumber sticker...or a tagline.)
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To: blam

game changer.

in a sane world that is.


49 posted on 12/05/2013 8:09:31 AM PST by Gasshog (These introductions of non-native species have consequences, like allowing Obama back into the U.S.)
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To: blam

Another science propoganda lie. Water doesnt just magically disappear. It may migrate from one area to another but it does not just go away. The H2O molecules do not leave the planet unless they get taken away by some space mission or we get hit by a large space object (which btw is why comets have water). The same water molecules you are drinking now have been drank by many other people and animals and dinosaurs for millions and millions of years. Don’t believe the hype!


50 posted on 12/05/2013 8:19:51 AM PST by rwoodward ("god, guns and more ammo")
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To: Red Badger

That’s the FIRST thing I thought of after reading the title.

I HAD to read the comments to see if anyone else thought of it, too—thank you.


51 posted on 12/05/2013 8:21:51 AM PST by Mortrey (Impeach President Soros)
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To: Toucan Dance

Science has known for several decades about the fresh water 5-10 miles deep under the Earth’s crust, but they do their best to keep it from becoming common knowledge. If we could re-evaluate all scientific findings in light of what the Bible says there would be a great collective ah-ha moment.

But you maybe so busy thinking and posting that you can’t be bothered to read...

Center for Scientific Creation - In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood
http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/IntheBeginningTOC.html


52 posted on 12/05/2013 8:37:33 AM PST by BrandtMichaels
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To: Brooklyn Attitude

God did it. My best guess:)


53 posted on 12/05/2013 8:43:37 AM PST by Bulwyf
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To: blam

We’ve pumped billions of gallons out of fresh water aquifers over the past 100 years, all of which entered the water cycle, some of which entered the oceans.
To what degree is the ocean level rising we’ve seen because of the fresh water we’ve already pumped out?


54 posted on 12/05/2013 9:51:11 AM PST by tbw2
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To: MaxMax

LOL! That sounds like a great line to use at a gathering of libtards in a hookah bar.


55 posted on 12/05/2013 9:52:05 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Vigilanteman
You have it wrong,... they will claim that all the fresh water will rush into the Ocean and flood the earth. Sorry channeling Al Gore & the Enviro Freaks.
56 posted on 12/05/2013 10:43:11 AM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: refermech

“Can an ocean be fresh water?”

There is no reason an ocean cant be fresh water.


57 posted on 12/05/2013 10:52:24 AM PST by Brooklyn Attitude (Things are only going to get worse.)
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To: katana

We are drawing down the aquifers. The water isn’t disappearing though.

People used to be able to hand dig wells in my area as little as 90 years ago. Springs that used to run reliably in the past are dry year round. The average well depth currently seems to range from 500 - 600 feet.

The water’s there, it just takes much more effort to get it.


58 posted on 12/05/2013 11:05:52 AM PST by listenhillary (Courts, law enforcement, roads and national defense should be the extent of government)
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To: blam

59 posted on 12/05/2013 11:11:27 AM PST by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: blam; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
UN Water, the United Nations' water agency, estimates that water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population in the last century due to demands such as irrigated agriculture and meat production.
Oh, meat production has to go then. /s
More than 40 percent of the world's population already live in conditions of water scarcity. By 2030, UN Water estimates that 47 percent of people will exist under high water stress.
Seems like a good reason to NOT help the water-stressed population -- MOST of whom are muzzies, whom we should NOT be helping for other obvious reasons. The fact is, water stress either leads to population decline, or to decline in the stressed region due to emigration. We're already seeing that, such as SubSaharan Africans swamping places like Minneapolis.

The only water stress we have in the US is due to the one-size-fits-all water restrictions like the supposed water-saving toilets and showerheads. This sounds like success of the agenda and axegrinding of the late Paul Simon (the politician, not the so-called musician).


60 posted on 12/05/2013 6:05:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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