Is there a finite amount of water on Earth, in any form, and could we ever run out?
In: Chemistry
There is a finite amount of water on Earth. The exact quantity changes, however. Certain processes, such as combustion, create water. Water also tends to become unusable- i.e. salty sea water cannot be consumed unless extensively treated. It is not possible for us to use most of the water on Earth because it uses too much energy to make it clean enough for consumption.
We could run out in the sense that usable water becomes so limited that we cannot supply or extract enough to meet the needs of humans. We see this in drought areas such as California, giant deserts, etc.
In the super long-term if atmospheric conditions change enough the Earth could become functionally barren. For example: the planet Mars used to have a functioning atmosphere and water on its surface, and now it doesn’t.
In the near future I would not worry about it, though.
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