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The Water Cycle and the Salt Levels

Water Cycle
    Fresh water is an essential resource for human survival and plays an important role in our lives, since it is always present, directly, or indirectly, in drinks and food, hygiene and sanitation, agriculture, industry, electricity generation and ecosystems, among other activities or processes. Likewise, having safe access to fresh water is as important as guaranteeing that its quality corresponds to health requirements so that it is safe and reliable for the survival of living beings.

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Table of Contents

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What is the water cycle

    The continuous recycling and redistribution of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff on our planet Earth is known as the water cycle or hydrological cycle. It is a natural process that has gone on for billions of years and is essential to sustaining life on our globe.

Factors that affect the water cycle

    The water cycle can be affected by various human activities and environmental changes. Some factors that can alter the water cycle include:

  •     Climate change: Rising global temperatures due to climate change can affect evaporation and precipitation, causing more severe droughts in some areas and more frequent flooding in others.
  • Deforestation: Deforestation and forest degradation increase runoff and soil erosion.
  • Urbanization: Urban development can change water runoff patterns from impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete, increasing surface runoff and reducing water infiltration into the soil.
  • Water withdrawal: Excessive withdrawal of water from rivers, lakes and aquifers for agricultural, industrial, and domestic purposes can affect water flows and deplete local water resources.
  •  Water Pollution: Contamination of water sources by chemicals and waste can affect water quality and affect aquatic ecosystems.

    While the water cycle is a natural process, it is important to properly monitor and manage human impacts on the water cycle to ensure the supply of freshwater to communities and protect aquatic ecosystems.

Salinity in freshwater sources

     The water cycle can also influence the salinity of freshwater sources through evaporation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and mixing with salt water. Salinity in freshwater sources can vary depending on geographic location and local climatic conditions.

    Recent studies indicate that fresh water in some parts of the earth is becoming saltier, due to a variety of factors mainly related to human activity and climate change. 

Factors affecting salinity in freshwater bodies

Human-induced factors such as irrigation, industrial processes and mining activities can introduce excess salts into freshwater ecosystems, and changes in rainfall patterns and increases in temperature also contribute. , by evaporation, an increase in the concentration of salinity in freshwater bodies.

    In many coastal areas, climate change-induced sea level rise increases saltwater intrusion into groundwater aquifers and coastal freshwater bodies. This means that fresh water is mixed with seawater, which increases the salt content.

Effects of increased salinity on freshwater sources

    The increase in salinity in freshwater bodies generates a series of impacts on the health and subsistence of living beings, among these are: 

  • Increasing salinization in some freshwater bodies may make it unsuitable for human consumption.
  • High concentrations of salt in “fresh” water would affect the life of plants, fish, and microorganisms, causing ecological alteration.  
  •  The regular use of saline water for irrigation causes soil degradation, impacting its fertility, inhibiting plant growth and consequently causing an alteration in the food chain.

Conclusions and Recommendation

    The salinization of freshwater bodies is a present situation that is added to those already existing and that implies a higher level of risk in the survival of living beings on our planet and consequently must be addressed within a multidisciplinary approach, due to to the countless factors involved, including the probable impact of the water cycle.

    Research indicates that the rehabilitation of contaminated freshwater ecosystems is possible and consequently efforts should not only be made to decontaminate, but also, in parallel, prevent this type of contamination.

    However, access to fresh water is not guaranteed for everyone and many parts of the world experience water shortages or water quality problems. Sustainable freshwater management is essential for human survival and well-being.

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