Water and Life on Earth

Water makes life as we know it possible.

Every drop cycles continuously through air, land, and sea, to be used by someone (or something) else "downstream." Water covers 70% of Earth's surface, but only 3% is fresh, and only a fraction of one percent supports all life on land. Climate change and growing populations are increasing the pressure on that reserve. By using water more wisely, we can make sure there's enough to share with all living things.

Video How Corals Hold Centuries of Ocean Climate Data Corals are living records of climate change. Audio Podcast: SciCafe–The Future of Our Oceans with Jeremy Jackson How can our oceans recover from the decades of damage inflicted by human activity? June 20, 2019   Bahamas Biocomplexity Project: Improving Marine Protected Areas for Conservation and Sustainability From 2000-2013, the CBC led the Bahamas Biocomplexity Project (BBP), a multidisciplinary study of how marine protected areas (MPAs)... story What is Water? Did you know that all living things need water to survive? Find out more about this precious resource. Article Cleaning the Water With an appreciation for the scarcity of fresh drinkable water, this young naturalist set out to test methods for filtering the contaminated... Research 8. Sustainable Development Authors: Jennifer Beckmann, Charles S. Spencer Article Recycling Water As populations grow, demand for water increases. The expected increase in droughts would reduce supply. Article Hydropower and Ocean Energy From rushing rivers to waterfalls to waves breaking on the beach, water energy is all around us. Projects that harness the ocean's... Video GRACE: Tracking Water from Space An innovative twin-satellite mission is watching water move across our blue planet. Research Congo Project The spectacular but poorly known Lower Congo River and the biological richness it harbors, combined with the growing threats to the... Article Working for Water Around the world, ecosystems are being disrupted by invasive plants Video Pondlife Museum biologist Sally Warring explores organisms that are invisible to the naked eye.

Support for the development of Science Topics was generously provided by Sidney and Helaine Lerner, GRACE Communications Foundation.