Interesting Facts About Water

Interesting Facts About Water

Whether you're talking around the "water-cooler" or looking for some fun topics to discuss during your water tasting - here are some interesting facts about water.

 

About 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water.  But more than just the oceans, water also exists in the air as vapor, in the ground as moisture and in aquifers, glaciers, lakes and (sadly) as runoff from municipalities.  But, interestingly, there is no "new" water.  Water on planet Earth is constantly recycled due to what is known as the "water cycle".  Our planet's supply is constantly moving from sea, to clouds, to rain, to earth and back again.

 

In the United States, we use more than 400 billion gallons per day of both surface and ground water.  To fully measure just how much water there is on the planet - consider these numbers:

 

The total water supply of the planet earth is estimated at 326 million cubic miles.  One cubic mile of water equals more than one trillion gallons.

 

It's estimated that 3,100 cubic miles of water (mostly vapor) is in the planet's atmosphere at any one time.  To answer the inevitable question - if it all rained at once - the Earth would be covered in only 1 inch of water.

 

The continental United States recieves anywhere from 3.5 to 4 cubic miles of precipitation each day.  For those of you still counting thats 12 Trillion gallons of water per day.

 

If all of the planet's water was poured in the United States, it would cover all the land in an ocean with a depth of 90 miles.

 

Finally, of the more than 2,000,000 cubic miles of fresh water that is stored in the Earth - most of it is within one-half mile of the surface.

 

Contrast that with the 60,000 cubic miles of water stored as fresh water in lakes, inland seas, and rivers.  And, if you really want to find fresh water, the most is stored in the 7,000,000 cubic miles of water found in glaciers and icecaps, mainly in the polar regions and in Greenland.

 

Water is the most universal solvent on the planet.  Even more than a substance such as sulphuric acid. Although sulfuric acid might be able to dissolve a car more quickly, water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid. 

 

Water is the only natural substance that is found in all three states -- liquid, solid (ice), and gas (steam).

 

And, finally, as you choose whether you're going to drink municipal tap water, or fine bottled water, consider that you are what you drink.  Up to 60 percent of the human body is water. The brain is composed of 70 percent water. Blood is 82 percent water.  And the lungs are nearly 90 percent water.