Water is one of the most important substances in nature. Not a single living organism can do without it, moreover, thanks to it, they arose on our planet. In different countries, a person spends from 30 to 5,000 cubic meters of water per year. What are the benefits of it? What methods of obtaining and using water exist?
She surrounds us everywhere
Water is the most common substance on Earth and certainly not the last in space. Depending on the composition and properties, it can be hard and soft, marine, brackish and fresh, light, heavy and extra heavy.
This hydrogen oxide is an inorganic compound, liquid under normal conditions, has no smell, no taste. With a small thickness of the layer, the liquid is colorless, with its increase it can acquire bluish and greenish hues.
It contributes to the flow of many chemical reactions, accelerating them. In the human body, water is about 70%. Being in the cells of all animals and plants, it promotes metabolism, thermoregulation and other vital functions.
In three states of aggregation, she surrounds us everywhere, participating in the circulation of substances in nature. In the form of water vapor, it is present in the air. From it, it reaches the Earth's surface in the form of precipitation (ice, fog, rain, hoarfrost, snow, dew, etc.). It enters the rivers and oceans from above, seeps into them through the ground. After some time, it evaporates from their surface, again entering the atmosphere and closing the circle.
The main resource of the Earth
All surface and underground waters of our planet, including atmospheric steam, are combined into the concept of the hydrosphere, or water shell. Its volume is almost 1.4 million cubic kilometers.
About 71% falls on the oceans - a continuous shell that surrounds the entire land of the Earth. It is divided into the oceans Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, Southern (according to some classifications) oceans, seas, bays, straits, etc. The world ocean is filled with salty sea water, unsuitable for drinking.
All drinking water (fresh) is within land. It makes up only 2.5-3% of the total hydrosphere. Fresh water bodies are: rivers, part of lakes, streams, glaciers and mountain snow, groundwater. They are not evenly distributed. So, in some parts of the planet there are extremely arid and desert areas that have not been moistened for hundreds of years.
Most of the fresh water is in the glaciers. They store about 80-90% of all world reserves of this valuable resource. Glaciers cover 16 million square kilometers of land; they are located in the polar regions and on the tops of high mountains.
Source of Life
Water appeared on the Earth billions of years ago, either released during chemical reactions, or arrived here as part of comets and asteroids. Since then, it has been an integral part of our lives.
Man and animals drink it, plants absorb it by the roots (or other organs) to maintain strength and energy. A huge part of the fluid enters the body along with food.
In general, people need 5-10 liters of water per day, and in the form of liquid - about two. Animals and plants can consume it more. For example, hippos drink about 300 liters per day, about the same amount is needed for eucalyptus.
The use of water in nature is not limited to drinking. For a number of organisms, it is a habitat. Algae grow in rivers and oceans, live fish, plankton, amphibians, arthropods, some mammals and other creatures.
Ways to use water
In our daily life, not a single day is complete without water. In this case, fresh reserves are usually used, the amount of which is very limited. Huge amounts of this resource are spent in everyday life during cleaning, washing, washing dishes, cooking.
In addition, the use of water is necessary for personal hygiene. For this purpose, it is used not only at home, but also in all work institutions, especially in hospitals. In medicine, it is also used for therapeutic baths, compresses, rubdowns, and is added to the composition of drugs.
It is indispensable for industry. Here, its ability to dissolve various substances, be it other liquids, salts or gases, comes in handy in many respects. It is used to produce nitric, acetic, hydrochloric acids, bases, alcohol, ammonia, etc. Every year, more than 1000 cubic kilometers of raw materials are withdrawn from fresh lakes and rivers for industrial purposes.
The use of water is associated with such sports as figure skating, hockey, swimming, biathlon, rowing, surfing, water-motor sports. It is necessary for extinguishing a fire, for farming.
Energetics
Another area of application of water is energy. At thermal and power plants, water is used to cool turbines, as well as to produce steam. Only for the production of one gigawatt of electricity, thermal stations consume 30 to 40 cubic meters of water per second.
The use of water in hydropower plants is based on other principles. Here, electricity is generated due to the speed of the rivers. Stations are installed in places with natural elevations. Where the rivers are not so swift, height differences are created artificially using dams and dams.
In China, India, the United States, France and other countries, tidal power is used to produce energy. Such stations (TECs) are built on the sea coasts, where the water level changes several times a day under the influence of the attractive forces of the Sun and Moon.
Sea waves can also give energy. Their specific power even exceeds wind and tidal. There are few stations generating energy in this way. The first appeared in 2008 in Portugal, it serves approximately 1,500 homes. At least one station is located in the United Kingdom on the Orkney Islands.
Agriculture
Agriculture is impossible without the use of water. It is mainly used for watering, as well as supplying birds and livestock. For breeding ten thousand cows alone, 600 cubic meters of water may be needed. On average, 2,400 liters are spent on rice cultivation, 600 liters on grapes, and 200 liters on potatoes.
Part of the water for irrigating fields and plantations comes naturally in the form of precipitation. In some countries, such as the UK, they account for the bulk of the water supply.
Where the climate is more arid, irrigation systems come to the rescue . They appeared in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Since then, of course, they have improved, but have not lost their relevance. Irrigation is used in Asia, South America and Europe. In the mountainous areas it is terraced, in the flat areas - flood.
Resource for recreation
One of the most enjoyable areas of human water use is recreation. The damage from this use of the resource is much less than in other areas. In addition, more often than not, people tend to go not to fresh, but to marine bodies of water.
On the seas and oceans, beach bathing is common. The coast of the Black and Azov Seas is popular in Russia. Most ponds provide an opportunity for the development of water sports, boat trips and boats, as well as fishing.
Regions with mineral waters attract those who wish not only to relax, but also to improve their health. As a rule, balneological resorts and sanatoriums are located in such places. Mineral waters are saturated with various salts and trace elements, for example, sulfur, magnesium, calcium, etc. Depending on the composition, they can affect various organs in the human body, improving their work.