Drink+the+Oceans

=Drink the Oceans= Desalination which is the process of changing saltwater into fresh drinkable water has the potential to end the scarcity of water in dry arid climates where water in scarce. As the population continues to expand, shortages of fresh water will occur more often. In some areas, salt water is being turned into freshwater for drinking. Most believe that desalination is a modern science but this technology has been around since ancient times when ships had to have clean drinking water when out at sea. Desalination mimics the the water (hydrologic) cycle. The sun supplies energy that causes water to evaporate from surface sources such as lakes, oceans, and streams. The water vapor eventually comes in contact with cooler air, where it re-condenses to form dew or rain. This process can be imitated artificially and more rapidly than in nature, using alternative sources of heating and cooling.

Even though destination seems like the perfect solution to the water shortage crisis there are still some downsides. One being that to turn saltwater into freshwater, it's pushed through a very thin polyamide membrane. While the water molecules pass through with no trouble, salt molecules do not this is known as reverse osmosis. The trouble with the process is that it consumes between three and four kilowatt hours per cubic meter - 1,000 liters - of fresh water. That adds to three times the amount of CO2 emissions made in the treatment of river or ground water. So producing an annual 38 billion cubic meters of fresh water from the ocean will consume 114 billion kilowatt hours. That could be problematic in an age where oil, gas and coal are in increasingly short supply, and nuclear power has fallen out of favor.

The environmental impact is another disadvantage to water desalination plants. Disposal of the salt removed from the water is a major problem. This waste, known as brine, can change the salinity and lower the amount of oxygen in the water at the disposal site, stressing or killing animals not used to the higher levels of salt. In addition, the desalination process uses or produces numerous chemicals including chlorine, carbon dioxide, hydrochloric acid and anti-scalents that can be harmful in high concentrations. In a world that is growing in population the demand for more supplies is greatly increasing and I believe that desalination is the only reasonable and attainable solution to the short supply of water despite its environmental impact.

(GDC)

. Is ocean water drinkable?, That's the real question afoot!!. Seawater has high concentrations of salt, so when we drink the water as is our bodies and cells are taking in water along with all the salt. Salt is needed in our diets and is consumed daily but an over consumption of salt can cause problems. The kidney can only produce urine that has less salt then salt water, this means that we would be urinating more water then we take in by drinking the ocean. Lucky there is a rather easy process to fix this problem called desalination. In nature a process called water (hydrologic) cycle in which the sun supplies energy that causes water to evaporate from surface sources such as lakes, oceans, and streams. The water vapor eventually comes in contact with cooler air, where it re-condenses to form dew or rain. We can recreate this process by heating up water ourselves in an enclosed area and catch the rain for drinkable water.

(KCJB)

Firstly, Desalination converts salt water into drinkable water by removing salt and other solids from seawater. Some advantages of water desalination are that plants can provide drinkable water to places that don’t have a natural supply of fresh water. The science of desalination is also easily understood and is already understood by many scientists. The ocean is a massive source which means running out isn’t a problem. The desalinations plants are also located far away from any residential area, so safety is not an issue.

Secondly, some disadvantages or limitations of desalination are it is very expensive to build and operate desalination plants. Building a plant can cost anywhere from $300 million to $2.9 billion. The plants also require a lot of energy. Energy costs are about one-third to one-half of the total cost of producing desalinated water. The environmental impact is another disadvantage to water desalination plants. Disposal of the salt removed from the water is a major issue. This discharge, known as brine, can change the salinity and lower the amount of oxygen in the water at the disposal site, stressing or killing animals not used to the higher levels of salt. Desalination also contributes to the Earth’s greenhouse gas emission problem. (MW)

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