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. Article 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)... Reading What is Water? Did you know that all living things need water to survive? Find out more about this precious resource.  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... 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

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