All About Water

What Is a Water Tower: An Introduction

We see water towers all of the time, yet many of us are unsure what exactly they do. Just what is a water tower, anyway? Put succinctly, a water tower is an elevated water storage system that we use to pressurize and distribute our water.

What Is a Water Tower: The Purpose of Water Towers

Domestic water supplies must be pressurized if they are to be considered safe. Insufficiently pressurized water can cause a slew of problems. Insufficiently pressurized water may not be able to reach the upper floors of buildings, or to spray forcefully enough. More dangerously, insufficiently pressurized water that flows over hilly areas may become negatively charge and suck in groundwater. This untreated groundwater is likely contaminated with microorganisms and harmful chemicals, and would pollute drinking water supplies. Water towers also help us by acting as a reservoir during peak water, or water shortages.

What Is a Water Tower: How Water Towers are Built

Water towers vary greatly in appearance and material. These pressurizing, elevated water storage systems have to be at least twenty feet tall. On average, water towers are about 130 feet tall. Water towers must be rounded, but can come in many shapes, like spherical and cylindrical. We can make water towers out of many different materials, like steel and concrete. However, we always line water towers’ interiors to protect water from absorbing these construction materials. Because water towers depend on hydrostatic pressure, they function even during power outages. Refilling the water tower, however, does require electricity. The water tower’s water supplies fall during peak hours, and then are refilled at night.

What Is a Water Tower: The History of the Water Tower

The water tower became popular during the Industrial Revolution, as growing communities recognized their need to pressurize and distribute water. Often these water towers were elaborately decorated—they were painted, or surrounded by brickwork or trellises. Many of these water towers are now perceived as architectural landmarks, and are therefore preserved for historical posterity. Today, many water towers form the highest point in several small towns, and they are therefore used as community rallying points. They are outfitted with antennae or warning sirens, and are sometimes used to advertise local happenings. In recent years, however, many people are switching away from water towers. Instead, they are constructing pumps on top of pipes to increase water pressure. While these pumps are more straightforward than water towers, they are potentially more dangerous. If the pumps fail, then the decreased water pressure might suck contaminated water into the domestic water supplies. What is a water tower? A safe device for storing and pressurizing water that is now being supplanted by less safe alternatives.

Many are unsure of what is on the ocean floor. The ocean floor, also called the seabed or sea floor, is the bottom of the ocean. The ocean floor comprises seventy-one percent of the Earth’s surface.

The Geography of the Ocean

To understand what is on the ocean floor, we must first understand the geography of the rest of the ocean. The geography of the ocean is divided into several levels. Each of these levels has its own typical features based on depth, features like topography, marine life, salinity, and soil composition. The ocean’s levels begin with a continental shelf, a gently sloping area of just around 650 feet deep that surrounds continents. The continental shelf then transitions into a continental slope, a steep descent into the ocean. The continental slope then transitions into the abyssal plain, which begins the seabed.

What Is on the Ocean Floor: The Geography of the Seabed

The breadth of what is on the ocean floor includes plains, enormous undersea mountain ranges called ocean ridges, isolated mountains called seamounts, and more. The deepest parts of the ocean floor are seabed trenches, which are called hadalpelagic trenches. The deepest trench is the Mariana Trench, which measures over 36,000 feet deep—that’s deeper than Mount Everest is tall. The average depth of the ocean, however, is 12,000 feet—that’s about two miles deep.

Life on the Ocean Floor

The soil in seabeds is full of sediment. This sediment collects from rivers, sea currents, magma, and microoganisms’ activity. In recent years we have discovered a variety of marine life in the deep sea, especially around hydrothermal vents.

How We’ve Discovered What Is on the Ocean Floor

For millennia, man has been unable to explore the ocean floor, as the seabed was too deep and pressurized to reach. Because of this, man has long seen the ocean floor as a symbol for mystery and wonder. Fortunately, in recent years we have been able to reach the ocean floor. Scuba divers can now use air tanks to reach shallower parts of the ocean floor. The deepest parts of the ocean floor can be reached with submersibles. Most famously, in 1986, the DSV Alvin explored the seabed wreckage of the Titanic.

How We Monitor What Is on the Ocean Floor

The seabed is always changing. Seafloor spreading continually adds new material to the ocean floor. This is why oceanographers have always wanted to monitor what is on the ocean floor. Sailors used to measure the ocean’s depth by using a lead line, a long piece of rope marked off in fathoms (six-foot intervals) with a weight at one end. The sailors would drop the weighted end into the water, and then the sailors would measure how far the line had entered the ocean when the weight reached the sea floor. In recent years, we have used satellites to map seabed and determine what is on the ocean floor.

The Science and Story of Rainbows 

Rainbows fascinate us. We find them in nature, and then expound upon and replicate them in our religions, mythologies, literature, art, and music. In this article we will talk about the science of rainbows, our cultural perception of rainbows, and we will learn how to make a rainbow.

How to Make a Rainbow: What Is A Rainbow?

The bright rainbows that we see in the sky are “primary rainbows,” which are red on the outside of their arcs and violet on the inside. They are caused by the light that is reflected from water droplets. Although we artificially subdivide rainbows into “bands,” the colors present in rainbows are not actually separate from each other. A rainbow is a continuous spectrum of colors. Infamous “double rainbows” appear as a color-inverted second arc above a primary rainbow. Rumored “triple rainbows” are scientifically impossible and cannot naturally occur.

How to Make a Rainbow: Where Do We Find Rainbows?

We can find rainbows wherever we find sunlight shining through airborne water droplets at a low angle. We can find rainbows around rainclouds, waterfalls, and fountains. We perceive rainbows to be brightest when half of the sky is still dark with rainclouds. Sometimes, when the moon is bright enough, we can even find moonbows, or nighttime rainbows. Interestingly, one cannot actually be “under” or “at the end of” a rainbow: even if you are looking at someone who appears to be at the end of a rainbow, from their vantage point, the person sees the rainbow as being still further off yet. This means that rainbows are not actual, physical objects that we can physically approach. So much for pots of gold.

How to Make a Rainbow: Rainbows in Science

Water Clarity

When we think of oceans and lakes, we think of sparkling blue waters. However, upon closer investigation, we see that water is clear.  The reason why water is clear is that it is made up entirely of oxygen and hydrogen.  Because both of these elements are gases, their electrons are unable to absorb or reflect visible light. In fact, water refracts or changes the direction of light. For example, when a T-shirt is soaked with water, it refracts away light, making the object appear darker.  This is why absorbed water darkens material, and why water is clear.

Why Water Is Clear If Ocean and Lake Water Looks Colored

We know how and why water is clear, so it probably doesn’t make immediate sense to us that while a small amount of water is clear, lakes and oceans appear to be blue. The reason for this is that water does not absorb much light, but when it does absorb light, it absorbs red, orange and yellow light.  As a result, it reflects back the shorter blue wavelengths to observers.

Why Water Is Clear: Misleading Opacity

Large bodies of water do not always appear blue.  Many rivers can appear brown, green or even gray. These appearances can be explained by the number of dissolved or suspended particles present in water, and the depth of the water. Both particles and water depth influence how light is reflected or refracted to the observer.  Color variants arise depending on the following circumstances:

• Gray water is generally water that has been stained by runoff from parking lots, buildings and roads in urban areas.
• Brown water is colored by dissolved organic materials like plants and animals.  It is usually found in forests and wetlands.
• Green water is usually stained by suspended particles of living materials, like algae or other microscopic plants.

Why Water Is Clear: Checking for Clarity

If water is clear, there is a much better chance that it is clean.  This is why we must check whether water is turbid or hazy.  We can check water clarify with a Secchi Disk.  This instrument is a black-and-white circular plastic plate that can be lowered into water.  To use a Secchi Disk, first lower it into the water. Stop lowering it when you can’t see it anymore. Next, note the depth (in meters) off of the calibrated line. Then raise the disk back up to where it reappears, again noting the depth off of the calibrated line. Finally, add these two noted depths and divide them by two. This final value can help you gauge water’s clarity. Be sure to compare this value on a weekly basis with measurements at the same lake.

What is an isolation tank? You may have heard people talking about isolation tanks recently, but you may not know what they are yourself. An isolation tank is a lightless, soundproof tank in which a person floats in skin temperature salt water. Isolation tanks employ sensory deprivation as a tool for meditation and relaxation. Some consider isolation tanks a form of alternative medicine. Isolation tanks go by many names, such as float tanks, sensory deprivation tanks, and floatation baths.

What Is an Isolation Tank: Tank Design and Use

Isolation tanks are designed to cut off all stimuli. The water in isolation tanks is filled with Epsom salt, which increases the water’s salinity and density, allowing users to float more easily with their faces above the water. Because the users’ ears float below the water, hearing is reduced. Other users use ear-plugs to further cut off sound. Users float with their arms by their sides, reducing skin sensation. To reduce smell, the water is treated as little as possible. The water temperature is carefully matched with the air temperature, cutting down one’s feeling of having a body boundary. In short, the isolation tank is designed to eliminate as many stimuli as possible.

What Is an Isolation Tank: How to Use an Isolation Tank

People usually use the isolation tank while naked. While users can technically wear swimsuits, this is discouraged because the elastic on swimsuits can uncomfortably compress skin, producing extraneous negative stimuli. Because the water should be altered by external forces as little as possible, users must bathe before entering the tank. After their isolation tank session, users must bathe again to cleanse their skin of the Epsom salt. For this reason, a shower is usually installed in the same room as the tank. This allows the user can switch directly from the shower to the tank and the tank to the shower.

What Is an Isolation Tank: The History of the Isolation Tank

The isolation tank was created in 1954 by medical practitioner John C. Lilly. John C. Lilly, a trained psychoanalyst, wanted to experiment with sensory deprivation. Several theories about sensory deprivation were circulating in Lilly’s. These theories held that the brain could go to sleep if all stimuli were cut off to it. Lilly decided to test these theories with the isolation tank, an experimental environment that would isolate the individual from external stimulations. He used this experimental environment to study awareness and consciousness. Experimenters at other universities continue his studies today. What is an isolation tank? A relaxation technique whose benefits are still being researched today.

What Are Phthalates: An Introduction

Many readers may be wondering, “What are phthalates?” Phthalates are a group of petroleum-based chemicals that were originally developed to make plastics more flexible. Nearly all people in industrialized and developing countries carry varying amounts of phthalate compounds in their bodies. However, phthalates have also been found to disrupt hormones in animals and humans. Because we use plastics in virtually every part of our lives, we may limit our exposure to phthalates, but never completely eliminate it.

What Are Phthalates: Common Uses of Phthalates

Once we understand what are phthalates, we must understand what they’re used for. Phthalates are chemicals that can be found in anything plastic. Food packaging, nail polish, vinyl tiling, garden hoses, shampoos and insect repellent all contain phthalates. In fact, the coveted “new car smell” is actually the smell of phthalates vaporizing as plastic parts are exposed to heat. Given our constant exposure to phthalates, it is unsurprising that these chemicals affect human health.

What are Phthalates: Health Risks of Phthalates

What are phthalates? Dangerous. Phthalates are hormone disruptors. Phthalate exposure in the womb shortens gestation, lowers male children’s sperm count and in female children causes endocrine problems that lead to premature breast development. This is especially worrying because, according to a 2000 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, women of child-bearing age receive twenty times more phthalate exposure than any other segment of the population. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has regulated phthalates as water and air pollutants since 2005. In lab animals, phthalate exposure again lowers sperm count and also causes birth defects and testicular atrophy.

What Are Phthalates: How to Avoid Phthalates

Although research has proven phthalates’ devastating health consequences for animals, research has not yet proven phthalates’ health consequences for humans to an extent that would sufficiently justify banning phthalates’ usage. However, you can lessen your phthalate exposure in several ways. Avoid products with artificial fragrances, as these products likely contain phthalates.  Shop for personal care items that are labeled “phthalate-free.” If a product’s label lists di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) or diethyl phthalate (DEP) among its ingredients, put it back on the shelf.

What Are Phthalates: Common Products That Contain Phthalates

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has published a list of 210 common household items that contain phthalates. This list can be accessed at their website and used as a guide to the products you should watch out for. The EWG also publishes a parents’ guide to phthalate-free childcare products.

Access to water has always been an important factor in the location of settlements, whether primitive or modern, human or animal, and the need for water is a universal part of life. Unfortunately, billions of people around the world still lack access to potable water.  Water shortages are usually defined as third-world phenomena, but shortages of clean water are also prevalent in the United States.  As the world’s population grows, humanity must recognize that water access is becoming an increasingly global concern.

Access to Clean Water

Access to water is vital, but access to clean water is even more critical.  Today, approximately one billion people do not have access to clean water, which has severely harmed the health and economic development of the most affected regions.  Further, according to UNICEF, lack of safe water is the world’s single largest cause of illness. Lack of clean water can cause afflictions such as river blindness, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, and a number of other diseases and infections. The global water crisis is not unsolvable, though. Countries around the world are actively pursuing solutions such as reduction of pollution, infrastructure building, desalinization, improved irrigation, and more.

Data Concerning Water Usage

• A person needs 7.5 to 15 liters a day for survival. Included in this are figures for drinking water, hygiene and cooking.
• On average, women in Africa and Asia walk about 6 kilometers to collect water.
• More than 3½ million people die each year from water-related diseases.
• A child dies every 20 seconds from a water-related disease.

Access to Water and Sewage Treatment

In man’s effort to stay safe, he has found ways to treat water. Water treatment occurs before the water enters a house. Unfortunately, water treatment is so simplistic that many people are still concerned for population safety. Sewage treatment is done on used water before it re-enters the source, such as a river or under ground supply. Sewage treatment speeds the process of eutrophication, or the aging process of water, and creates favorable breeding grounds for disease that would not be as concentrated if nature took care of itself. Taking the larger particles from sewage water is acceptable, but the later-stage biological processes are what cause eutrophication.

Access to water and particularly, clean water will always present a major problem to the human race. Unfortunately, there are too many people needing too many resources from the planet.

What Is Water?

The chemical formula for water is H₂O. This formula means that one molecule of water is made up of to two hydrogen atoms bonded with one oxygen atom. Oxygen is a negatively charged atom and hydrogen is positively charged, but when the electrons of these atoms combine to form a water molecule, the molecule’s charge is not evenly distributed: the molecule has a slight negative charge on its oxygen end and a slight positive on its hydrogen end. Because of this, water molecules are polar. This polarity causes water molecules to be electrostatically attracted to other water molecules, and also allows water molecules to dissolve other molecules.

What is Water: Polarity’s Effects

Polarity makes water molecules special. For instance, it causes water’s solid form, ice, to float atop its liquid form, water—and unusual chemical property. This happens because water molecules’ hydrogen bonds repulse other water molecules’ hydrogen bonds, which makes the solid water molecules be spaced further apart from each other than they were as liquid water molecules. This causes ice to be less dense than water, thereby causing ice to float.

What Is Water: Other Unusual Properties

When we wonder what is water, need to understand water’s also possesses some other interesting physical properties.

• Water has strong surface tension, high heat of vaporization, and high specific heat.
• Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid, and has therefore been nicknamed “the universal solvent.”
• Water is the only chemical compound on Earth’s surface that is naturally present as liquid, gas and solid.

What is Water: Water Is Necessary for Life

All of life’s biochemical reactions rely upon liquid water to occur. Without water, the world as we know it would not exist. The world’s temperature systems would be wildly different, chemical reactions would not occur, and organisms would not be able to maintain their cell membranes. In chemical reactions, water pushes non-polar compounds together. This hydrophobia is the basis for the creation and maintenance of cell membranes, which are necessary for all living organisms. Additionally, only water can bend enzymes into the proper shape for catalyzing the chemical reactions that we need to stay alive. What is water? Necessary for life. Us folks of Operation Hydros understand how important water is, and that’s why we’re fighting so hard to conserve it.

Introduction

Is water a mixture? To answer this understand, we need to understand what a mixture really is. A mixture is any combination of two or more substances that do not cause a chemical reaction. The two types of mixtures are homogeneous and heterogeneous. Some substances such as oil and water are considered immiscible (cannot be mixed together) but they can be forced into an emulsion by the addition of several different chemicals. Is water a mixture? We will answer that later in this article.

What Is a Mixture?

When two or more substances are combined and no chemical reaction occurs, the result is regarded as a mixture. This brings up the question about water. Is water a mixture?

Is Water a Mixture?

Water is not a mixture because the hydrogen and oxygen atoms do combine with each other on the molecular level. Although the atoms can be separated from each other by electrolysis, they were at one time combined by a chemical bond. Therefore water is considered a compound, a molecule made up of two or more elements.

What Types of Mixtures Are There?

Is water a mixture when it is combined with salt? No, but it is one part of the mixture. By most chemical definitions there are only two types of mixtures, homogeneous and heterogeneous.  A mixture is regarded as homogeneous when the different types of molecules are evenly distributed throughout, such as salt water. It is heterogeneous when the different substances are not evenly distributed.

Can Oil and Water Ever Combine?

Is water a mixture when it is combined with oil? Oil and water are usually immiscible; they do not mix. When a jar of oil and water is shaken, the two substances will intermingle for a short time until the droplets of oil re-blend into larger globules and finally remove themselves into a separate layer. Many chemical substances are available that can be introduced into the water to prevent the oil droplets from recombining. When the oil droplets remain suspended in water, they form an emulsion.

Water Regulation

Environmental Protection Agency

In the United States, the mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to uphold standards of public health and protect the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency bases their efforts upon scientific information and enforces protection of the environment and its inhabitants, human, animal, and plants, with fair and effective policies established through the federal government. With the cooperation of communities, businesses, local, federal and tribal entities, the EPA has been a proven success in sustaining the eco-systems of the United States in a productive manner, setting the standard for global environment protection efforts.

Water Regulation

Laws concerning water regulation enacted by the United States Congress are the basis of the regulations and policies of the EPA. Important water regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency have been enacted by the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Other important legislation includes the laws to control and lessen the impact of hazards to our environment from atomic and fossil energy, conservation and recovery, and issues pertaining to public health.

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act allows the Environmental Protection Agency to protect waterways in the United States from the harmful effects of pollution. This water regulation includes man-made and natural ponds and lakes, wetlands and rivers. CWA was enacted in 1972 and mandated the restoration and maintenance of the waterways of the United States by:

• Setting standards for industries to control pollution.
• Requiring states and tribal entities to address water quality and develop pollution control programs.
• Creating processes of development in wetlands to ensure environmental quality.
• Authorizing the EPA to oversee emergency response situations of release of oil or other hazardous substances that are a threat to public welfare.

Safe Drinking Water Act

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to announce and enforce standards to ensure the quality of public drinking water systems. The types of contaminants and standards are extensive and amended regularly to reflect the latest scientific findings. The SWDA is applicable to every public water system in the United States.

Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments

Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments requires states and territories to develop nonpoint pollution programs. The CZARA mandates are under the joint auspice of EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act

Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act mandates drinking water systems must be periodically assessed for vulnerabilities to terrorist or other intentional malicious acts.