http://news.msn.com/science-technology/found-hidden-ocean-locked-up-deep-in-earths-mantle Oceans deep in the Earth's mantle... Excerpt; Deep within the Earth's rocky mantle lies oceans' worth of water locked up in a type of mineral called ringwoodite, new research shows. The results of the study will help scientists understand Earth's water cycle, and how plate tectonics moves water between the surface of the planet and interior reservoirs, researchers say.
It's water in mineral form that's 400 miles below the surface. It will not be exploitable in the foreseeable future....
There are many potable water issues across the USA and around the world... - - - Updated - - - I agree but it should give scientists more information in understanding how water is moved around below the surface. Perhaps they will find aquifers closer to the surface in places they never thought to explore?
Yes because we should avoid the most common sense solution of purifying and desalinate our abundant supply of surface waters at all costs in favor of contaminating water deep in the earth's surface. It would be un-human not to lay waste to the entire planet, inside and out.
The solution to water problems is much simpler than trying to drill and pump 400 mile deep wells. The answer to the nations water problems is a national water grid. We already have grids for electricity and natural gas that transport these commodities nationwide, a water grid would do the same thing with the added feature of being able to relieve water inundated areas during times of floods. Of course it would mean a public works project that would rival the projects of the 1930's but I think it is a far better use of taxpayers dollars than foreign wars and the multitude of alphabet soup agencies with nothing better to do than spy on the US citizens. On the upside it would facilitate the development of much of the western united states that is now barren and allow those areas to be farmed and used for other useful purposes.
but you need to be recognisant that flooding is part of the biosystem, it renews depleted soils, refreshes wetlands...so removing excess water can do more harm than good...we have prime farm land that under goes flooding every year, the government spends hundreds of millions trying to control it and prevent it, but that annual flooding is also the reason the farmland is so productive...
(My bold) The rudiments of such a grid are in place - dams, canals, etc. But gravity does most of the work now - water is dense & doesn't compact - v. hard to move it uphill, & takes a lot of energy. Good thinking, though. & yah, almost any use would be better than Prexy W's Wars of the Flowers, absolutely. The national security state is v. far along - & almost a complete waste of money, talent, political will, CPUs, telecoms, & on & on. Better to rebuild national infrastructure, rebuild the inner cities, figure out some way to recuperate the sunk costs there, reinvigorate K-12 public schools, go back into space, figure out how to desalinize water in industrial quantities @ good price, ...
Flooding also does billions of dollars of damage in inhabited areas. If the flooding is occurring in rural areas where it is beneficial so be it, but it is a disaster in a highly populated area it is better to pump it out and send it to where it is needed.
The energy required to move water uphill with pumps is the same as the amount of energy that can be generated from the downhill movement of water.
(My bold) Yah, if pumps were perfectly efficient. They aren't. Now if you could use solar or some other free/near-free energy source to run the pumps, then you'd be talking.
Not just the pumps, the pipes produce friction, and liquids inherently produce friction (viscosity) whenever they're moved (head loss).
The answer to the lack of water problem is to build desalination plants powered by nuclear energy. Doing so would translate the googol gallons of seawater into fresh water as needed.
Solar,wind,hydro, and solar/hydrogen could all be used to power pumps. The point is that we do not have a shortage of fresh water, we simply do not manage it effectively. But like most things, creating shortage is very profitable.
Under an ideal frictionless system, with 100% efficiency pumps, yes. however, 30-40% efficient pumps (motors) are pretty much the rule, and there are many frictional and other losses.
We don't have a lack of water. Where do you think it goes? Regional droughts are not because there is a lack of water it's because weather systems are cyclical. Where does water go? Into the ground that's where. There it is naturally filtered as it descends to underground aquifers. Even private septic systems contribute potable water eventually. A friend told me a neighbor used to yell at her when she watered her yard because of her water usage. I told her to ask the neighbor just where she thought the water was going. (Eventually it was going to replenish the neighbor's well!).
