If Water Could Talk

Have you ever wondered how water recycles or where it goes? Does it disappear or is new water made? Good questions; water never disappears or recreates. Our planet is constantly recycling the exact same supply as has been here since soon after the planet was formed. It is recycled via the hydrologic or water cycle. What came to my mind when I learned it's the same water, is that I might be drinking the same water as the dinosaurs drank, or I may be showering in the same water a megalodon shark was swimming in, or maybe I am cooking with the same water Cleopatra's cooks used! The possibilities are endless! 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes the water cycle as "the continuous movement of water as it changes between liquid, solid, and vapor states. These transformations occur on Earth's surface and throughout the atmosphere" (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2026, February 5). The Water Cycle. https//www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/freshwater/water-cycle). 

I am not going to go into how the hydrologic cycle works, as most of us learned about that in school. I am more interested in things like how water is like a magician or shapeshifter because of how it can disguise itself as a cloud, an iceberg, snow, steam and even fog! Many of us know that water makes up approximately 71% of the Earth's surface, with 96.5% being from the oceans and the seas. Water also makes up 50-75% of our human bodies and even about 60% of a dogs body. Another fun yet important fact is the water regulates not only Earth's temperature, but our body temperature, too.

Speaking of temperature, did you know volcanoes provide the Earth with water as well. According to Trinity College of Dublin, "They release massive amounts of water vapor—often making up over (90%) of volcanic gas emissions—through a process called degassing. This continually recycles water from the Earth’s mantle and is the primary way water vapor was originally released to form our oceans and atmosphere billions of years ago". They go on to say that Geoscientists debate two theories about where water actually came from. One theory is water may have been captures by asteroids and comets that collided with planet Earth. A stronger and more probable theory states that water has always been present in the Earth's mantle and was slowly released to the surface through the volcanoes. They also mention that water can be recycled back into the mantle, which leads to the question of how much water is inside our Earth we don't know about! (Camber, Balz. Trinity College Dublin, 08, March 2017. https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/comets-or-volcanoes-where-did-earths-water-come-from/). 

We cannot talk about water without exploring some of the myths and mythology that surrounds water! For centuries many cultures talked about the creatures of the sea such as the Kraken, sea monsters, and mermaids. Mermaids appear differently to different cultures. Movies and shows I have watched here in the US portray them as beautiful creatures that are more on the innocent-side, whereas other cultures portray them as menacing creatures that lure men to their death in the sea. The Kraken we think now was just the sighting of the Giant Squid that has been discovered with females growing up to 15 feet long. 

If water could talk it would answer the still asked and studied question of whether Atlantis existed or not. Plato told of this lavish city and supposedly it crumbled in just one day and night of catastrophe right into the ocean. Don't forget Cantre'r Gwaelod in Wales, the legendary fertile kingdom near Ramsey Island that legend has it the sea warden got drunk and left the floodgates open during a big storm causing it to submerge below the water.

Water isn't just for drinking, swimming, boating, there is so much more to it and this Blog could turn into a book if we talked about all of the ways water is intermingled in our lives. I know that when I am around water, there is a peace and feeling of familiarity, I mean after all, we did live in water our first 9 months, right!