Water, over half the planet is covered in this miraculous molecular compound. Water provides us with necessary hydration for our bodies, gives us means to grow crops and raise animals, it acts as a highway for boats and barges, and through water, humanity has thrived. The recipe for water is a relatively simple one, all you need is to combine one-part oxygen and two-part hydrogen and suddenly you have the key to life on earth. Water is arguably the most valuable resource that exists on planet earth and yet, it is quickly slipping out of our reach. Water covers over seventy percent of earth’s surface, but only about three percent of that water is available for human use as freshwater. The main source of freshwater is permanent ice sheets, which makes up sixty-nine percent of global freshwater. The remaining supply of global freshwater is divided between groundwater and underwater aquifers, but groundwater makes up only one percent of global freshwater. Underwater aquifers makes up thirty percent of freshwater and is where the majority of Texas’s water demand is satisfied. There are many contributors to water usage, but agriculture, home use, and industry, occupy the top three spots of major water consumers. In 2010, the Texas Water Development Board reported that the agricultural sector made up 58 percent of water demand, nearly all due to agricultural irrigation (TWDB, 2013). Corn is the most widely produced crop in the state of Texas, contributing over $1.2 billion to the state’s economy ever year. Statewide, over 301 million bushels of corn are produced every year, and of this corn, 65 to 70 percent is under irrigation (Texas Corn, 2012). Furthermore, roughly 40 percent of Texas corn goes to a single cause—ethanol (Texas Corn... ... middle of paper ... ...-Texas-South-Plains-2012.pdf+fully+irrigated+corn+takes+up+to+1200+gallons+of+water+to+produce+a+single+gallon+of+ethanol&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESg3NmR1bNa8FtVG2g_xDOlDfcUF8ES6YGyfbTeOXSrjq7MhtYJw4lvRZx82gl00SOSI3nh0xp3wX4vCkQ3ALE_x7jdLTlxFobK9KTkmkf3KMpB4uT-rwoW7Y0czuFKCHUp1SzZz&sig=AHIEtbSBOl1wOQY3m-LqoAIkIdHot3YlpQ Water Use for Ethanol Production. (2013). - Ethanol. Retrieved February 06, 2013, from http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ethanol/wateruse.cfm Watershed. (n.d.). Watershed. Retrieved February 06, 2013, from http://water.me.vccs.edu/concepts/watershed.html Watersheds. (2013, January 16). Home. Retrieved February 06, 2013, from http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/index.cfm What is a watershed? (2013, May 23). Watersheds and Drainage Basins, Water Science for Schools. Retrieved February 06, 2013, from http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watershed.html
Currently, the United States is the largest producer of corn in the world. In 2010, it produced 32% of the world’s corn crop. Corn is grown on approximately 400,000 U.S. farms, showing the importance of corn in the United States’ diets. Twenty percent of the corn produced is exported and corn grown for grain accounts for almost one quarter of the harvested crop acres in this country (National Corn Grower's Associatio...
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
With the changes coming from global warming and increased greenhouse gasses, there will be many impacts to Texas over the coming decades. One of these impacts is the effect on our water resources. Texas’ main source of fresh water is precipitation, coming almost completely from rainfall. With temperatures rising and with an expectation that precipitation levels will most likely drop in coming years, this combination will put great stress on our water reservoirs. If we continue our current usage rates of water and if recent climate changes continue to persist then we will see a huge decrease in our water reservoirs. Also, given that we are in a drought, it appears that conditions are getting worse every year, posing a serious problem for the future if this issue is not addressed now.
Given the amount of resources that the world as a whole has access to why use corn as a source of fuel? Some would say that countries, such as the United States have an overabundance of food produce. Logically, those countries that have an over surplus of food MUST have enough to put a dent into the rapidly increasing costs of oil and gasoline. Unfortunately, that is a misconception. In order to produce enough corn to fuel the global economy it is important to analyze what that actually means for farmers and the government, not to mention the actual food supply. In order to produce corn ethanol, we must first grow an abundance of corn. Simple right? Wrong, corn is very draining on the soil it is grown, which, in short, means that whomever is growing the corn would have to rotate the corn plantation with something that will restore the nutrients of the soil. Unfortunately, that takes both time and money to do. The task would cal...
Selling corn in massive quantity can lead to a greater profit. An ear of corn may averages about eight-hundred kernels in sixteen rows and a pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels. One-hundred bushels of corn makes approximately 7,280,000 kernels. Every year, a single U.S. Farmer may provides food and fiber for 129 people in the U.S. and 32 overseas. In the U.S., corn production is 2 times that of any other crop. Over 55% of Iowa’s corn goes to foreign markets and the rest is used in other parts of the United States of America.
Corn took over American farmlands at the end of World War II, when a new synthetic fertilizer was introduced and manufactured by former munitions factories. It allowed for the elimination of crop rotation, leading to the switch from family farms to the corn monoculture. Economically, this system seems to make more sense, but it destroyed the once sustainable, sun-driven fertility cycle. Now, farmers are trapped into making more and more corn by government policy. As the abundance of the crop causes prices to fall, farmers must plant even more in order to make ends meet, surviving off constantly decreasing government subsidies. What’s worse is that the New Deal system that allowed corn farmers to stay afloat has since been dismantled in an effort to lower food prices and increase production without considering the farmers
A surprising fact is that most of the corn we produce in the United States is not actually eaten. In 2008 the United States produced a total of 12.1 million bushels of maize. Of that 5.2 million was used as livestock feed, 3.6 million for ethanol production, 1.8 million for exporting, .9 million for production of starch, sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, and oils, and finally .3 million for human consumption in grits, flour, alcohol, etc.
Every human in the world has a significant impact on the water cycle, as well as me. Every day I use resources and have a major impact in into this cycle. We often use resources without thinking much about it. It is simply normal to us, that enough of these resources are available for the people. Water is just always available for us.
Due to desires to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the increasing concerns of trade balances and geopolitics, as well as the growing rise of the price of crude oil, nations worldwide are taking bigger steps in establishing sustainable energy alternatives [1]. In order to meet more sustainable energy needs there has been an increase in the demand of biofuels. With this increase in demand comes the increase demand of water, which is already a limiting factor in food production in many parts of the world. Here I explore the effects of biofuel production on water sources, and how biofuels can possibly remediate degraded water resources. Although the increase production of biofuels can further exacerbate already scarce water, sustainable energy produced from biomass has a great potential to use sources of water that are considered unsuitable for consumption. The sustainability of biofuel production through the use of marginal lands can be improved through the use of degraded water resources. Nitrate contaminated ground water, as well as other degraded water resources have the potential to be used for feed stock productivity [2]. This can also lead to the restoration of contaminated water resources.
Water is the most important substance in our evolution and our daily lives. Without water,
It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today.
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Water is the most vital part of life. Water is needed from humans, to plants and other organisms, and to do basically everything. Water allows our bodily functions to work and to remove waste from our bodies. Plants need water to grow, and humans need plants to gr...
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of the water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only 1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes.
Water is an irreplaceable natural resource on this earth which comprises marine, estuarine, fresh water (river and lakes), ground water across coastal and inland areas. Even though there is huge water resource in this world, about 97% of water is salt water (marine) only 3% is fresh water. And in this small fraction of fresh water a major part is in the form of ice in polar region. So just 0.003% is in the form of ground water and surface water which we can use.