Read n' Seed: First Quarter of "Aqua Shock"

Lake Superior

1. So far I've covered chapters 1 and 2, pages 1-56.
2. The main topic I have read about are how our water sources are quickly diminishing and how many places are fighting over ownership of these water sources and actually taking each other to court. I also learned 70% of earth is water, yet only 1 percent of that water is readily accessible freshwater. 97% of this water is in oceans, salty and undrinkable unless it is desalinated which is very costly which leaves 3% freshwater. 2% of this freshwater is glaciers, polar ice caps and groundwater, which only leaves us with the 1% freshwater made up by ground and surface water. Another interesting face is about how much water we use daily just for production. Nearly 47 billion gallons of freshwater are used for public water supply systems and domestic uses. More than 142 billions of freshwater are used to irrigate crops, water livestock, and meet other agricultural needs. And finally more than 195 billions of water (136 billion gallons of freshwater and 59.5 billion gallons of saline water) are used in energy production and for thermoelectric power plants (Marks, 2009) . 
3. I learned some significant things from the first two chapters of this book. I learned that the amount of water on earth is constant, what changes is the form it takes-liquid, ice, or vapor, the amount of pollution, and the accessibility of the water. Water goes through the hydro-logic cycle and evaporates in one place but may fall in a completely different place where the temperature is much colder,  therefor turning that once available water into ice.  Also,  according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, Lake Superior is at its lowest point since January of 1926 (Marks, 2009) . We are losing much of our fresh water from this lake and we must start being more careful.
4. We need to start preserving our water and stop polluting it. The fact that Lake Superior's water level is going down affects us because lowing water levels make it much more difficult for maritime shipping, which Duluth/Superior is a main harbor and this could have very negative consequences on our economy. If this source dries up too much or completely there will be no way for ships to come through which consequently will make it harder for us to get products out/in. We will have to find an alternate source of transporting our goods. To address this we need to start using less water by cutting down shower times, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, switching to toilets that use less water, recycling water to water plants and lawns, and fixing leaky faucets or hookups. We need to start changing our ways before it is too late. Humans are composed mostly of water and once it's gone it could mean the end of our existence unless we find an alternate substance.

References from: Marks, S. (2009). Aqua shock: the water crisis in america. New York: Bloomberg Press.