A Journey in the Future of Water

A Journey in the Future of Water
Author: Terje Tvedt
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2013-10-25
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0857723081

Nourished by fears of global warming and climate change, water has become an issue of urgent international concern. Is flooding across Europe and Asia a warning of more extreme weather conditions in times to come? Will rising sea-levels threaten some of the most densely populated regions of the Earth. And as the world population approaches 7 billion, placing increasing demands on our limited global water supply, will there be conflict over access to water? Fundamental questions about the future of humanity are being asked, and for the first time in history they have to do with the role of water and our ability to control it. In 'A Journey in the Future of Water' leading water expert, TerjeTvedt, explores the impact of our growing water concerns. In a journey that takes him to more than twenty-five countries and across all continents he talks with water experts, politicians and local people to find out more about the ways in which different nations are seeking to respond. From Project Moses, where gigantic underwater gates will rise to prevent the inundation of Venice, to India's River Link Plan, connecting thirty-seven Himalayan rivers to rivers in the south, the author has examined some the world's largest engineering projects, travelled the great river valleys, explored the rain-soaked coasts of Scandinavia and the rain-starved deserts of the Sahara and Oman. From Las Vegas to Lourdes, from Norway to the Nile, he has taken part in water festivals and rituals in Africa and India, travelled to poor nomadic societies and some of the largest cities in the world, in order to better understand this most precious of resources and its determining role in the life of the planet. The result is both one of the most comprehensive and accessible accounts of current and future global water issues and a celebration of water itself.

Downriver

Downriver
Author: Heather Hansman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2019-03-19
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 022643267X

Award-winning journalist rafts down the Green River, revealing a multifaceted look at the present and future of water in the American West. The Green River, the most significant tributary of the Colorado River, runs 730 miles from the glaciers of Wyoming to the desert canyons of Utah. Over its course, it meanders through ranches, cities, national parks, endangered fish habitats, and some of the most significant natural gas fields in the country, as it provides water for 33 million people. Stopped up by dams, slaked off by irrigation, and dried up by cities, the Green is crucial, overused, and at-risk, now more than ever. Fights over the river’s water, and what’s going to happen to it in the future, are longstanding, intractable, and only getting worse as the West gets hotter and drier and more people depend on the river with each passing year. As a former raft guide and an environmental reporter, Heather Hansman knew these fights were happening, but she felt driven to see them from a different perspective—from the river itself. So she set out on a journey, in a one-person inflatable pack raft, to paddle the river from source to confluence and see what the experience might teach her. Mixing lyrical accounts of quiet paddling through breathtaking beauty with nights spent camping solo and lively discussions with farmers, city officials, and other people met along the way, Downriver is the story of that journey, a foray into the present—and future—of water in the West.

The Big Thirst

The Big Thirst
Author: Charles Fishman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2011
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1439102082

Fishmen examines the passing of the golden age of water and reveals the shocking facts about how water scarcity will soon be a major factor.

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls

How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls
Author: David Hu
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2018-11-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691169861

Discovering the secrets of animal movement and what they can teach us Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? In How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls, David Hu takes readers on an accessible, wondrous journey into the world of animal motion. From basement labs at MIT to the rain forests of Panama, Hu shows how animals have adapted and evolved to traverse their environments, taking advantage of physical laws with results that are startling and ingenious. In turn, the latest discoveries about animal mechanics are inspiring scientists to invent robots and devices that move with similar elegance and efficiency. Hu follows scientists as they investigate a multitude of animal movements, from the undulations of sandfish and the way that dogs shake off water in fractions of a second to the seemingly crash-resistant characteristics of insect flight. Not limiting his exploration to individual organisms, Hu describes the ways animals enact swarm intelligence, such as when army ants cooperate and link their bodies to create bridges that span ravines. He also looks at what scientists learn from nature’s unexpected feats—such as snakes that fly, mosquitoes that survive rainstorms, and dead fish that swim upstream. As researchers better understand such issues as energy, flexibility, and water repellency in animal movement, they are applying this knowledge to the development of cutting-edge technology. Integrating biology, engineering, physics, and robotics, How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls demystifies the remarkable mechanics behind animal locomotion.

Hudson Bay Bound

Hudson Bay Bound
Author: Natalie Warren
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1452961468

The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree, Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends—the first women to make this expedition—there was one timeless challenge: the occasional pitfalls that test character and friendship. Warren’s spellbinding account retraces the women’s journey from inspiration to Arctic waters, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime. Along the route we meet the people who live and work on the waterways, including denizens of a resort who supply much-needed sustenance; a solitary resident in the wilderness who helps plug a leak; and the people of the Cree First Nation at Norway House, where the canoeists acquire a furry companion. Describing the tensions that erupt between the women (who at one point communicate with each other only by note) and the natural and human-made phenomena they encounter—from islands of trash to waterfalls and a wolf pack—Warren brings us into her experience, and we join these modern women (and their dog) as they recreate this historic trip, including the pleasures and perils, the sexism, the social and environmental implications, and the enduring wonder of the wilderness.

The Singapore Water Story

The Singapore Water Story
Author: Cecilia Tortajada
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2013
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0415657822

This book describes the journey of Singapore ́s development and the fundamental role that water has had in shaping it. What makes this case so unique is that the quest for self-sufficiency in terms of water availability in a fast-changing urban context has been crucial to the way development policies and agendas have been planned throughout the years.

Future Water Conservation

Future Water Conservation
Author: Michael Molinar
Publisher: Michael Molinar
Total Pages: 86
Release: 2023-08-30
Genre: Gardening
ISBN:

Explore the groundbreaking world of AC water recycling, where advanced technology merges with environmental awareness to reshape our water conservation practices. This enlightening book guides you through an enthralling journey, unveiling the untapped potential of air conditioning units in homes and businesses and addressing the critical issue of water scarcity. Within these pages, you'll uncover the surprising capacity of home AC units to generate water alongside the impressive output of commercial AC systems daily and even hourly. Additionally, you'll gain insight into the distressing waste of millions of gallons of water in states facing severe shortages: California, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. In regions like these, where water wastage is prevalent, this innovative approach to water generation could be the game-changer we need. We've found a practical solution to mitigate water scarcity in these areas by harnessing the condensate water produced by air conditioners. This book reveals the untapped potential of AC water recycling, emphasizing how minor adjustments and heightened awareness can significantly contribute to water conservation efforts. Embrace the promise of air conditioning units as a sustainable answer to water scarcity as we collectively work towards a greener and more water-abundant future.

Running Out

Running Out
Author: Lucas Bessire
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2022-10-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0691216436

Finalist for the National Book Award An intimate reckoning with aquifer depletion in America's heartland The Ogallala aquifer has nourished life on the American Great Plains for millennia. But less than a century of unsustainable irrigation farming has taxed much of the aquifer beyond repair. The imminent depletion of the Ogallala and other aquifers around the world is a defining planetary crisis of our times. Running Out offers a uniquely personal account of aquifer depletion and the deeper layers through which it gains meaning and force. Anthropologist Lucas Bessire journeyed back to western Kansas, where five generations of his family lived as irrigation farmers and ranchers, to try to make sense of this vital resource and its loss. His search for water across the drying High Plains brings the reader face to face with the stark realities of industrial agriculture, eroding democratic norms, and surreal interpretations of a looming disaster. Yet the destination is far from predictable, as the book seeks to move beyond the words and genres through which destruction is often known. Instead, this journey into the morass of eradication offers a series of unexpected discoveries about what it means to inherit the troubled legacies of the past and how we can take responsibility for a more inclusive, sustainable future. An urgent and unsettling meditation on environmental change, Running Out is a revelatory account of family, complicity, loss, and what it means to find your way back home.

Introduction to Water in California

Introduction to Water in California
Author: David Carle
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2015-12-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0520287894

This thoroughly engaging, concise book tells the story of California's most precious resource, tracing the journey of water in the state from the atmosphere to the snowpack to our faucets and foods. Along the way, we learn much about California itself as the book describes its rivers, lakes, wetlands, dams, and aqueducts and discusses the role of water in agriculture, the environment, and politics. Essential reading in a state facing the future with an overextended water supply, this fascinating book shows that, for all Californians, every drop counts. New to this updated edition: * Additional maps, figures, and photos * Expanded coverage of potential impacts to precipitation, snowpack, and water supply from climate change * Updated information about the struggle for water management and potential solutions * New content about sustainable groundwater use and regulation, desalination, water recycling, stormwater capture, and current proposals for water storage and diversion *Additional table summarizing water sources for 360 California cities and towns

The Water Will Come

The Water Will Come
Author: Jeff Goodell
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-08-07
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780316260206

"An immersive, mildly gonzo and depressingly well-timed book about the drenching effects of global warming, and a powerful reminder that we can bury our heads in the sand about climate change for only so long before the sand itself disappears." (Jennifer Senior, New York Times) A New York Times Critics' Top Book of 2017One of Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2017One of Booklist's Top 10 Science Books of 2017 What if Atlantis wasn't a myth, but an early precursor to a new age of great flooding? Across the globe, scientists and civilians alike are noticing rapidly rising sea levels, and higher and higher tides pushing more water directly into the places we live, from our most vibrant, historic cities to our last remaining traditional coastal villages. With each crack in the great ice sheets of the Arctic and Antarctica, and each tick upwards of Earth's thermometer, we are moving closer to the brink of broad disaster. By century's end, hundreds of millions of people will be retreating from the world's shores as our coasts become inundated and our landscapes transformed. From island nations to the world's major cities, coastal regions will disappear. Engineering projects to hold back the water are bold and may buy some time. Yet despite international efforts and tireless research, there is no permanent solution-no barriers to erect or walls to build-that will protect us in the end from the drowning of the world as we know it. The Water Will Come is the definitive account of the coming water, why and how this will happen, and what it will all mean. As he travels across twelve countries and reports from the front lines, acclaimed journalist Jeff Goodell employs fact, science, and first-person, on-the-ground journalism to show vivid scenes from what already is becoming a water world.