Comments on: If you put all the water on Earth in one place http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Fri, 24 May 2013 04:28:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Dlo Burns http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1423125 Dlo Burns Mon, 14 May 2012 08:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1423125 not a big fan of Denver, huh? not a big fan of Denver, huh?

]]> By: Gipors Lee http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422863 Gipors Lee Sun, 13 May 2012 09:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422863  Just so little!  Just so little!

]]> By: Dave Messer http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422284 Dave Messer Fri, 11 May 2012 23:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422284  Wow. How thick can you get?  Wow. How thick can you get?

]]> By: joelwilliamson http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422267 joelwilliamson Fri, 11 May 2012 23:38:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422267 The source that the USGS graphic is based on (Shiklomanov's "World Water Resources") is careful to note that it only discusses "free water existing in liquid, solid or gaseous state in the atmosphere, on the Earth's surface and in the crust down to a depth of 2000 metres." The issue then is that an infographic for popular consumption does not contain all the caveats one expects in an academic source. The source that the USGS graphic is based on (Shiklomanov’s “World Water Resources”) is careful to note that it only discusses “free water existing in liquid, solid or gaseous state in the atmosphere, on the Earth’s surface and in the crust down to a depth of 2000 metres.”

The issue then is that an infographic for popular consumption does not contain all the caveats one expects in an academic source.

]]> By: joelwilliamson http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422264 joelwilliamson Fri, 11 May 2012 23:33:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422264 Page 4 of the Shiklomanov paper cited at that address: "Current estimates are that the Earth's hydrosphere contains a huge amount of water, about 1386 million cubic kilometres. However, 97.5% of this amount are saline waters and only 2.5% is fresh water." Before making a claim that a particular datum is not in some source, it is wise to at least read the paper's introduction. Page 4 of the Shiklomanov paper cited at that address: “Current estimates are that the Earth’s hydrosphere contains a huge amount of water, about 1386 million cubic kilometres. However, 97.5% of this amount are saline waters and only 2.5% is fresh water.”

Before making a claim that a particular datum is not in some source, it is wise to at least read the paper’s introduction.

]]> By: Donovan Correll http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422215 Donovan Correll Fri, 11 May 2012 22:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422215 Thats about 5 people lol Thats about 5 people lol

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1422009 Antinous / Moderator Fri, 11 May 2012 19:43:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1422009 Bi-la kaifa. Bi-la kaifa.

]]> By: DJango cfMC FEROX http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421977 DJango cfMC FEROX Fri, 11 May 2012 19:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421977 "The sphere includes all the water in the oceans, seas, ice caps, lakes and rivers as well as groundwater, atmospheric water, and even the water in you, your dog, and your tomato plant."  BUT ALSO:  " Data source: World fresh water resources" 1993, Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources"  http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/2010/gallery/global-water-volume.html “The sphere includes all the water in the oceans, seas, ice caps, lakes and rivers as well as groundwater, atmospheric water, and even the water in you, your dog, and your tomato plant.”  BUT ALSO:  ”
Data source: World fresh water resources” 1993, Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Fresh Water Resources” 
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/2010/gallery/global-water-volume.html

]]> By: DJango cfMC FEROX http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421973 DJango cfMC FEROX Fri, 11 May 2012 19:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421973 the problem here is that the USGS site itself clearly says it's "all the water on earth," but the data source at the bottom of the photo on the same USGS site says the data source is a study about FRESH WATER not all the water.... the problem here is that the USGS site itself clearly says it’s “all the water on earth,” but the data source at the bottom of the photo on the same USGS site says the data source is a study about FRESH WATER not all the water….

]]> By: LightningRose http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421919 LightningRose Fri, 11 May 2012 18:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421919  What are you, some kind of bleeding heart liberal?  What are you, some kind of bleeding heart liberal?

]]> By: Kevin Pierce http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421896 Kevin Pierce Fri, 11 May 2012 18:08:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421896 Mmmm.... pi.... Mmmm…. pi….

]]> By: Daen de Leon http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421871 Daen de Leon Fri, 11 May 2012 17:54:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421871 Not true. I've just read a Nature review of a new book by Robert M. Hazen ("The Story of Earth", Viking Books) which quotes studies showing that that there is many, many more times more water stored in the earth's mantle than in the oceans. The USGS data on which the graphic is based was drawn up in 1984, before those studies were done. http://www.nature.com/news/2002/020308/full/news020304-10.html Not true.

I’ve just read a Nature review of a new book by Robert M. Hazen (“The Story of Earth”, Viking Books) which quotes studies showing that that there is many, many more times more water stored in the earth’s mantle than in the oceans. The USGS data on which the graphic is based was drawn up in 1984, before those studies were done.

http://www.nature.com/news/2002/020308/full/news020304-10.html

]]> By: Doug Lipinski http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421836 Doug Lipinski Fri, 11 May 2012 17:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421836 2*pi, i.e. ~6.28, inches. duh. L1=2*pi*r, L2=2*pi*(r+1"), L2-L1=2*pi*r-2*pi*(r+1")=pi*2" 2*pi, i.e. ~6.28, inches. duh.

L1=2*pi*r, L2=2*pi*(r+1″), L2-L1=2*pi*r-2*pi*(r+1″)=pi*2″

]]> By: Jeff Ritzmann http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421776 Jeff Ritzmann Fri, 11 May 2012 16:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421776 Learn something new every day. Thanks for that Chris. Learn something new every day. Thanks for that Chris.

]]> By: jackbird http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421601 jackbird Fri, 11 May 2012 14:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421601 What's the focal length of that lens, assuming the water was perfectly clear?   Would we be able to burn a hole in the nearly-full moon? What’s the focal length of that lens, assuming the water was perfectly clear?   Would we be able to burn a hole in the nearly-full moon?

]]> By: jackbird http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421599 jackbird Fri, 11 May 2012 14:11:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421599  Not that water pollution isn't a huge problem, but generally when the water evaporates to take another turn around the water cycle, the poisonous stuff mixed into it in the liquid phase is left behind.  Not that water pollution isn’t a huge problem, but generally when the water evaporates to take another turn around the water cycle, the poisonous stuff mixed into it in the liquid phase is left behind.

]]> By: Kevin Pierce http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421551 Kevin Pierce Fri, 11 May 2012 13:36:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421551 As compared to the sphere of rock, the oceans are really not that deep.    Here's an Earth-scale riddle:    Assume Earth is a dry uniform sphere and you have run a string around the entire equator - difficult to do, as you are 'squaring the circle'.   That string has a certain 'known' length.    How much *longer* would the string need to be to uniformly elevate it 1" from the surface, all the way around? As compared to the sphere of rock, the oceans are really not that deep.   

Here’s an Earth-scale riddle:   
Assume Earth is a dry uniform sphere and you have run a string around the entire equator – difficult to do, as you are ‘squaring the circle’.   That string has a certain ‘known’ length.   

How much *longer* would the string need to be to uniformly elevate it 1″ from the surface, all the way around?

]]> By: Kevin Pierce http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421541 Kevin Pierce Fri, 11 May 2012 13:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421541 My sarcastic gist: Without or with a different sized drop of water accumulating on the 3rd rock, the solar system (universe?) would be safe from Earth's toxic side effects (us). My sarcastic gist: Without or with a different sized drop of water accumulating on the 3rd rock, the solar system (universe?) would be safe from Earth’s toxic side effects (us).

]]> By: SamSam http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421526 SamSam Fri, 11 May 2012 12:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421526 Yup. True that. It was just a "job creating" boondoggle with the USGS wasting tax-payer money. To be fair, they did create millions of jobs during that one hour where they had everyone rushing with buckets to collect all the world's water and pouring it into that sphere for this stupid publicity photo-op, but since it was all over so quickly the jobs effect wasn't lasting. Probably something Obama did to get better numbers for May... Putting all the world's water in a giant sphere would have been something we'd let a private company do if we didn't live in this Socialist government. Yup. True that. It was just a “job creating” boondoggle with the USGS wasting tax-payer money. To be fair, they did create millions of jobs during that one hour where they had everyone rushing with buckets to collect all the world’s water and pouring it into that sphere for this stupid publicity photo-op, but since it was all over so quickly the jobs effect wasn’t lasting.

Probably something Obama did to get better numbers for May…

Putting all the world’s water in a giant sphere would have been something we’d let a private company do if we didn’t live in this Socialist government.

]]> By: Marco Henry Lapka http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421522 Marco Henry Lapka Fri, 11 May 2012 12:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421522 Of course the US would take it all too!-P Of course the US would take it all too!-P

]]> By: Antonin Caors http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421497 Antonin Caors Fri, 11 May 2012 12:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421497 putting stuff in a ball to make easier comparison is sometimes surprising... let's try with mankind: it is not hard to put n people in a telephone booth that has volume V°. Roughly, take n=20 people and V°=1m x 1m x 2m = 2 cubic metres. Let N be earth's population (say, N=7 billions). you'll need N/n phone booths, hence the total volume V: V = V°.N/n If that were a sphere, we'd have V=4/3 . pi.R^3. Thus, R^3 = (3 N V°)/(4 Pi n). Feeding the numbers therein yields: R = 551 m (=1807 ft and 1" for you non-metric barbarians ;-) ) -> Entire mankind, stacked as compact as in a phone booth, would easily fit in a sphere 1km accross... putting stuff in a ball to make easier comparison is sometimes surprising… let’s try with mankind:
it is not hard to put n people in a telephone booth that has volume V°.
Roughly, take n=20 people and V°=1m x 1m x 2m = 2 cubic metres.
Let N be earth’s population (say, N=7 billions). you’ll need N/n phone booths, hence the total volume V:
V = V°.N/n
If that were a sphere, we’d have
V=4/3 . pi.R^3.
Thus, R^3 = (3 N V°)/(4 Pi n).
Feeding the numbers therein yields:
R = 551 m (=1807 ft and 1″ for you non-metric barbarians ;-) )
-> Entire mankind, stacked as compact as in a phone booth, would easily fit in a sphere 1km accross…

]]> By: Lord Humongous http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421464 Lord Humongous Fri, 11 May 2012 11:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421464 Mandrake, water is the source of all life.  Seven tenths of this earth's surface is water.  Why, you realize that seventy percent of you is water. Mandrake, water is the source of all life.  Seven tenths of this earth’s surface is water.  Why, you realize that seventy percent of you is water.

]]> By: retepslluerb http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421424 retepslluerb Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421424 No, the flagon with the dragon. No, the flagon with the dragon.

]]> By: Karnuvap http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421414 Karnuvap Fri, 11 May 2012 09:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421414 Seen it already (less US-Centric version) http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/159214/530wm/E0550330-Global_water_and_air_volume-SPL.jpg Seen it already (less US-Centric version)
http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/159214/530wm/E0550330-Global_water_and_air_volume-SPL.jpg

]]> By: Stephan http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421343 Stephan Fri, 11 May 2012 07:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421343 According to my calculation all humans would fit into a sphere no bigger than 1200m in diameter. That is if you squeeze them really tight of course. According to my calculation all humans would fit into a sphere no bigger than 1200m in diameter. That is if you squeeze them really tight of course.

]]> By: Kyle Hinshaw http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421253 Kyle Hinshaw Fri, 11 May 2012 05:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421253  So if I were on a boat floating 860 miles in the exosphere above say San Francisco, I might be able to make out Dallas, TX on the horizon if the water were transparent enough to see through?   So if I were on a boat floating 860 miles in the exosphere above say San Francisco, I might be able to make out Dallas, TX on the horizon if the water were transparent enough to see through? 

]]> By: Ted Bautista http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421142 Ted Bautista Fri, 11 May 2012 03:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421142 Can someone make a similar Katamari Damacy ball composed of the number of people on the planet? I'll get my deathstill ready. Can someone make a similar Katamari Damacy ball composed of the number of people on the planet? I’ll get my deathstill ready.

]]> By: gullevek http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421083 gullevek Fri, 11 May 2012 01:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421083 It's a trap! It’s a trap!

]]> By: gullevek http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421081 gullevek Fri, 11 May 2012 01:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421081 860 miles is 1,384 km. For the rest of the world. 860 miles is 1,384 km. For the rest of the world.

]]> By: Kevin http://boingboing.net/2012/05/10/if-you-put-all-the-water-on-ea.html#comment-1421003 Kevin Thu, 10 May 2012 23:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=159948#comment-1421003 I did the math. Area of the surface of the Earth is (7962 miles diameter):  A= 4 * pi * r^2 4* pi*(7962/2)^2 = 197.4 million square miles of surface. Volume of the ball of water: V=4/3 * pi * r^3 4/3*pi*(860/2)^3 =  333 million cubic miles of water. if the ball of water was placed over the full surface of the Earth, 333 million cubic miles/197.4 million sq miles = 1.7 miles deep of water. NOAA says the average depth of the ocean is 2.65 miles. When you account for all of the land mass on the planet, these calculations sound about right. I did the math.

Area of the surface of the Earth is (7962 miles diameter):  A= 4 * pi * r^2
4* pi*(7962/2)^2 = 197.4 million square miles of surface.

Volume of the ball of water: V=4/3 * pi * r^3
4/3*pi*(860/2)^3 =  333 million cubic miles of water.

if the ball of water was placed over the full surface of the Earth,

333 million cubic miles/197.4 million sq miles = 1.7 miles deep of water.

NOAA says the average depth of the ocean is 2.65 miles.

When you account for all of the land mass on the planet, these calculations sound about right.

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