Why is water the most important natural resource

Water is a precious resource. We can’t live without it. If you look at a map of the world you will see that much of our planet is covered in water. Our oceans are not the only source of water. Water is also present under the ground and as vapor in the air. Clouds formed by this vapor ensure that water falls back down to Earth as rain, sleet, snow or hail.

Oceans of water

There is a lot of water all around us but most of this is not freshwater. Ocean water has too much salt in it for us to drink. Much of the water that falls back to Earth in one form or another becomes runoff. It travels some distance over land before making its way back to one of Earth’s oceans. As it travels over land, the water picks up salts and minerals from the rocks and soil and washes them into the ocean. The deposits have built up over many years. That is why ocean water is so salty.

Freshwater 

Approximately 97% of Earth’s water is salt water. That leaves only about 3% that is freshwater for meeting the needs of people, plants and animals. 

Only about a third of our freshwater is available for us to use. The rest is frozen solid in glaciers, in the snow on high mountaintops and in the polar ice caps. 

The freshwater we use comes from surface water and groundwater. Surface water is water we can see in ponds, rivers, lakes and streams. Groundwater is water that seeps down into the ground and collects in the spaces between rocks and soil underground. 

Protecting water

It is important to protect our water supplies from pollution. Once the water becomes polluted, it can be difficult or even impossible to clean.

Chemicals, like cleaning supplies, paints and other toxins, can seep into the ground and make the water unusable. People must dispose of their waste products appropriately so we will have plenty of freshwater in the future.

Streams, rivers and lakes provide habitat for certain types of aquatic plants, fish, insects and birds. Some of these organisms need very pure freshwater.

Almost all organisms on Earth today contain at least 50% water in their bodies. Living things use water to transport nutrients, hormones and oxygen to their cells, cleanse waste from their systems and cool their bodies.

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Water is one of the most important natural resources flowing from forests. The Forest Service manages the largest single source of water in U.S., with about one-fifth originating from 193 million acres of land which provides drinking water to 180 million people every day.

Soil provides nutrients, water, oxygen and heat to natural land areas.  Understanding the ability and capacity of soil to support an ecosystem plays an important role in land management decisions.  

Air is a third critical resource for humans, plants, animals and all other organisms within a natural area. Air must be monitored in order to control and lower pollution levels, control smoke caused by wildland fires, and to monitor air quality. The Forest Service monitors the effects of air pollution that may impair visibility, harm human health, injure trees and other plants, acidify or cause unnatural fertilization of streams and lakes, leach nutrients from soils, and degrade cultural resources, like archeological sites and historical buildings. Forest activities that can affect air quality such as prescribed burning, ski areas, and mining are also monitored to ensure compliance with air regulations for human health and to monitor possible impacts to natural resources.

What research is being conducted to protect these natural resources?

Research on water, air and soil provides scientists with information about these critical natural resources, how they are changing, and what is affecting them. Forest Service Research and Development focuses on the following four focus areas involving water, air and soil:

Basic Processes

This research focus area strives to understand the basic processes of water, air and soil and how they are affected by many disturbances including fire, drought, invasive species and more.

Climate Change Impacts

This research focus area looks at the long term effects of climate change on the water, air and soil within a natural area. Pollution added to an atmosphere, water, or soil will directly or indirectly affect a natural area, either immediately or in the future.

Extreme Event Effects

This research focus area examines how extreme events, including storms, fire, invasive species, and more, have on the water, air and soil in a natural area. Scientists also look at the effects of these events on watersheds located in the forest or grassland.

Watershed Management Tools

These tools help natural resource managers, planners, and landowners decide how to manage forest and grassland watersheds. Watershed Management Tools can also be used to educate the general public about ways to protect and improve watersheds.

Current Research Highlights

Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States

In simple terms, drought is a lack of water over a given temporal and spatial scale. Drought can be a severe natural disaster with substantial social and economic consequences. Historical and paleoclimatic evidence shows that drought has always impacted the physical environment and will continue to do so. Management actions can either mitigate or exacerbate the effects of drought. As drought regimes change, the ability to quantify and predict the impacts on forests and rangelands is critical to developing and implementing management actions to increase resiliency and adaptation.

Nitrogen Deposition Effects in California and the Pacific Northwest

This research study focuses on proposing strategies that will set limits on power plants, cars, farms and other industrial processes in order to slow down the effects and production of acid rain, algal blooms and mercury. The amount of mercury found in plants and animals is continuing to rise to toxic levels making it extremely dangerous to the infected plant or animal as well as any higher level food chain animals that may eat it. Scientists are proposing these levels based on scientific research they have been conducting involving observation of tree-inhabiting lichens and diatoms, a tiny single-cell algae that is very sensitive to changes in nitrogen levels.