One would think with a phenomenon
like climate change resulting in melting icebergs and rising sea levels planet
Earth should be drowning.
The strange thing is that the
planet is gaining more land than it is losing water! Over a period of 30 years,
from 1985 to 2015, planet Earth gained 173,000 sq. km. (67,000 sq. ml.) of land
from water, and 115,000 sq. km. (44,000 sq. ml.) of water moved to dry land. If you subtract 115,000 sq. km. (44,000 sq.
ml.) from 173,000 sq. km. (67 sq. ml.) there should be a net land gain of 58,000
sq. km. (23,000 sq. ml.). These are positions facilitated by Google SearchEngine and Landsat satellite imagery.
Water covers 71% of the Earth’s
surface, the remaining 29% is covered by continents and islands (landmass).
Mass of oceans is about 1.35 x 10¹⁸ metric tons (one metric ton is equal to
1000 kilograms). The Earth’s mass is 5.97 x 10²⁴ kilogram.
NO.
|
COMPONENT OF EARTH
|
SURFACE COVERAGE
|
01
|
Landmass
|
71 %
|
02
|
Water
|
29 %
|
SOME AREAS
AFFECTED
Water Gainers
- The Tibetan Plateau gained water. The plateau is also known as Tibetan Highlands or Qingzang Gaoyuan or Ch’ing-tsang Kao-yuan. It is a plateau in southwestern China. The plateau cuts across the whole Tibet autonomous region, much of Qinghai province, western Sichuan province and southern autonomous region of Xinjiang. The plateau covers an area of 965,000 sq. mi. (2,500,000 sq. km.).
- Amazon River Basin gained water. The Amazon River Basin drains the Amazon River. The Amazon Basin runs through South America carrying the Amazon River. The Amazon Basin cuts through the following countries in South America: Guyana, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Surinam and Peru. The Amazon Basin releases its content (Amazon River) into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon Basin spreads over an area of 7,500,000 square kilometers (2,900,000 square miles). Most of the Amazon Basin is located in the Amazon Rainforest.
- The Mississippi delta is eroding because the many dams built on the Mississippi River has reduced sediments needed to feed and maintain the delta. The drainage basin of about 2350 miles in length supports about 40,000 dams and levees. Another reason is that because of rising sea level the delta is being pushed back inland.
- Taiji Nai’er Lakes in China gained water as man- made lakes.
- Damming of Imjin River in North Korea (Hwanggang Dam). HwanggangDam is 26 miles (42 kilometers) north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Land
Gainers
- Aral Sea is gaining land. The Aral Sea is gaining land because it is drying up. The Aral Sea is a lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the south. The Aral Sea used to be the fourth largest lake in the world covering an area of 68,000 square kilometers (26,300 square miles), by 2007 it has lost 90% of its original size. The lake started losing its size from the 1960s when the Russians diverted the rivers that fed it for irrigation purposes.
- Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona, USA is gaining land. Lake Mead located in Mohave County in Arizona and Clark County, Nevada. The lake serves water to Arizona, Nevada and California. The Colorado River that feeds Lake Mead is drying up so the amount of water it feeds Lake Mead is reducing. The result is that Lake Mead is reducing in size, and islands are growing.
- Artificial islands (Durrat al Bahrain) built on the coast of Bahrain cause land gained. Durrat al Bahrain is the third largest artificial island in Bahrain. Durrat al Bahrain is 25.2 miles south of Manama, capital of Bahrain. Durrat al Bahrain comprises of 15 artificial islands covering an area of about 5 square kilometers or 54,000,000 square feet.
- Dubai coastline artificial islands (e.g. Palm Islands) - land gained. The Palm Islands are made up of three islands namely, Palm Jumeirah, Deira Island and Palm Jebel Ali. Palm Jumeirah artificial island has an area of 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers.
- About a quarter of Singapore is artificial land- land gained. Singapore lies one degree (137 kilometers) north of the Equator, between the India Ocean and South China Sea. Land reclamation has added a land area of 130 square kilometers to Singapore, from 581.5 square kilometers (224.5 square miles) in 1960 to 719.1 square kilometers (277.6 square miles) in 2015. There is a projection of a further 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of land area to be added to Singapore by the year 2030. Land reclamation involves merger of some smaller islands.
CAUSES
Water
- Lakes made by man
- Creation of dams
- Rising levels of the oceans
Land
- Diversion of rivers that fed Aral Lake for irrigation purposes by Russia
- Building of artificial islands
- Coastal areas gained land- as a result of more human construction than erosion (a net land gain of 13,000 sq. km. or 5000 sq. mi.)
- Reclamation of land
PARTING SHOT
The gaining of both land and
water resulting in a net gain of land has environmental costs. The building of
artificial islands in Dubai for example brought about disruption of marine ecology,
erosion, change in wave patterns, reduction in the amount of sunlight received
by vegetation on the seabed etc. The loss of wetland in the case of the
Mississippi delta for example, implies loss of rich biodiversity. The name of
the game, as far as this blog goes is clean and balanced natural environment,
sustainably. Though overall, over time, Singapore has lost a lot of its
rainforest, it has integrated into land reclamation a green revolution, making
Singapore an icon of a clean and balanced natural environment worthy of
emulation.
Reference:
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