Insights

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041a11c3.png"> <div> <IMG SRC="1a487310.jpg" border=0 width="135" height="49" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> "Wise souls know that life's most treasured elements are the simplest and yet, in their simplicity, also the most complex. What could exemplify that principle better than water?"</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>Leighton Taylor</I></div> <div> <I><IMG SRC="117871d0.jpg" border=0 width="135" height="285" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00FFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >Water Sciences & Insights</FONT><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF80" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><B> </B></FONT>|   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="West Marrin"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Overview"><U>Overview</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U>Writings</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Broadcasts"><U>Broadcasts</U></A>   |   Insights   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U>Explorations</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact "><U>Contact </U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.png" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Insights</div> <div> A brief insight about water is posted on this web page at the time of each equinox and solstice during the year. The seasons themselves are determined by a combination of the Earth's tilt and orbit around the Sun; however, water is instrumental in facilitating the events that we associate with the changing of the seasons. Click on the year to read the insight of your choice (listed below) and click on the link (at the end of each insight) to access references for additional information.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#66FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="#2001" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2001</U></A></FONT>  Earth's Climate Regulator; Electrified Clouds; A Sound Environment; Underwater Music.<I> </I></div> <div> <A HREF="#2002_insights_1" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2002</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  DNA's Secret Ingredient; The Strangest Ice; Ocean Memories; Birthing a Star.</FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="#2003_insights_1_1" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2003</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  Water's Geometry (parts 1 and 2); Network Complexity; Structuring Water.</FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="#2004" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2004</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  Enigmatic Seawater; Solar Water; A Legendary Mediator; Etheric Symbolism.</FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#66FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="#2005" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2005</U></A></FONT>  A Water Crisis; Humming Along; The Primordial Waters; Changing Perceptions.</div> <div> <A HREF="#2006" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2006</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  Quantum Weirdness; Water and Rock; Rock and Water; Pharm Waters.</FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="#2007" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2007</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  The Deep Water Cycle; Chaotic Fractals; Making More Water; Water Ethics.</FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="#2008" TITLE="Insights"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b70118ffff6600.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">2008</U></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  Water and Energy (parts 1 and 2)</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0a166aa0.jpg" border=0 width="358" height="170" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="1335baa0.jpg" border=0 width="347" height="170" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="2001"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> 2001</div> <bR> <div> EARTH'S CLIMATE REGULATOR</div> <bR> <div> The correlation between atmospheric concentrations of so-called greenhouse gases (particularly carbon dioxide) and the recent trend of rising average temperatures on Earth's surface has been the focus of considerable scientific and political concern. What is often overlooked in this brouhaha is that water (in the form of clouds and atmospheric vapor) is, by far, the most important regulator of planetary temperatures. As a result of water's ability to store heat energy and to absorb much of the Earth's outgoing radiation (i.e., the source of greenhouse "heat"), water is the only planetary substance that can either exacerbate or ameliorate global warming on a short-term basis. Moreover, it is the oceans (not the continents) that control most of the flux of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the planet's surface. So, could global warming represent just another manifestation of our many water problems?   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21__water_cycle_shifts_gear_nature_434.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>planetary water</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> ELECTRIFIED CLOUDS<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Most people readily associate the torrential rains of thunderstorms with the familiar lightning bolts that electrically connect massive clouds with the planet's surface. Although liquid water is the stuff that most often falls to the ground, ice crystals located in the tops of the thunderhead clouds are primarily responsible for lightning and Earth's so-called <I>global electric circuit</I>. Thousands of meters above the ground surface, water-coated ice crystals collide with one another to generate the static electricity that is discharged in the form of lightning bolts. Meteorologists have recently discovered that, in addition to the familiar cloud-to-ground lightning, there is another type of lightning that shoots upward and connects the cloud tops to the atmosphere's uppermost reaches (where electrically-charged solar particles are stored). Ice serves as an important generator of the electricity that links our globe and, perhaps, that connects Sun and Earth. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  <A HREF="id21__red_sprites_and_blue_jets.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>cloud ice</I></U></A>         </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> A SOUND ENVIRONMENT<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >While most of us recognize the oceans as the largest ecosystem on Earth, fewer of us realize that this massive realm (containing 97% of the planetary water) is also full of sound. This sound is created by sources as diverse as underwater volcanoes, sliding tectonic plates, singing whales, and droning ship propellers. Moreover, the mix of sounds detected in the ocean differs as a function of both location and depth, owing to the peculiar way in which sound bounces around the oceanic depths----often confining itself to discrete channels. The physical properties of seawater (e.g., temperature, salinity), along with the seafloor topography, serve to fine-tune the oceanic symphony. So, who's listening? Well, most marine creatures rely more on sound or subtle vibration than they do on vision because seawater transmits pressure waves more efficiently than light waves. We landlubbers still have a lot to learn about this symphony.</FONT>   <A HREF="id21__science.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>sea sounds</I></U></A> </div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> UNDERWATER MUSIC<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >Perhaps the most enchanting and frequently recorded of all ocean sounds are the complex songs of the humpback whales. Despite decades of research, scientists are still puzzling over both the purpose of and the message underlying the songs. In fact, we are not even sure how the whales----lacking any vocal cords----produce their sounds. Their tendency to sing near seamounts (a favorite hub for their winter breeding grounds) has prompted whale researcher Roger Payne to ask whether they may be broadcasting their message across vast expanses of ocean. The songs evolve from year to year as their composers add and delete complex musical phrases. Humpback songs are often compared to human music, as well as to sounds made by other animals and the Earth. Recently, the "sonic" well-being of all marine creatures has been questioned with regard to extremely loud noises produced by controversial human activities.</FONT>   <A HREF="id21____sciencehistory.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>whale songs</I></U></A> </div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="2002_insights_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> 2002</div> <bR> <div> DNA's SECRET INGREDIENT<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Considering the recent interest in genetic engineering, it is worth noting that the structure and functioning of the DNA molecule is dependent on water. Millions of water molecules link themselves together into a network that envelops the DNA crystal, permitting it to fold and maintain the 3-D helical configuration that is absolutely essential to its storing and transmitting the codes for biological organisms. Besides this so-called <I>hydrating</I> water, there is another type of water that is situated within the tiny nooks and crannies of the DNA molecule itself. This <I>nanoscale</I> water is characterized by physical properties that are quite different from those of water that we recognize as part of our everyday world. Moreover, this unusual type of water bridges or "glues together" the more familiar components of a DNA molecule (e.g., bases, strands). Some modern naturalists claim that water essentially mediates biology's genetic code.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21____biological_functions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>DNA water</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> THE STRANGEST ICE<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The ice that forms on Earth is known as <I>hexagonal ice</I>, which creates predictable and familiar crystals. However, there is another type of ice that is formed exclusively in outer space and that has no definable crystalline structure. This unstructured form of solid water is known as <I>amorphous ice</I>, which is very strange because solids are, by definition, crystalline. So, what's the deal with this bizarre ice or so-called glassy water? It appears that amorphous ice is formed from water molecules present in outer space where temperatures dip below -260 degrees Celsius. Recently, two NASA scientists hypothesized that amorphous ice is able to flow (not unlike liquid water), permitting gases trapped in the ice to combine with one another and form simple organic molecules. The scientists surmise that these simple molecules, when transported to Earth by cosmic water, may represent the precursors to biological life.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21____science__.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>amorphous ice</I></U></A> </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> OCEAN MEMORIES<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >           </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Moving silently within the cold abyssal depths of the world's oceans is a massive "river" of water that is known (scientifically) as the <I>thermohaline circulation</I>, denoting that it is driven by temperature and salinity differences in seawater. This global conveyor belt is not truly a river, but instead consists of seawater and a series of large-scale vortices (i.e., gyres) that are contributed by all of the world's oceans. According to some oceanographers, this oceanic conveyor belt also transports temperature signals from polar to tropical regions, where the planet's climate regime is ultimately regulated. In addition to transporting signals that induce climate change, seawater is able to retain a planetary history or memory of climate change that spans hundreds of years. Interestingly, many ancient insights proclaim that water is able "to remember" as a result of its travels through Earth's body and even through the stars.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21__oceanic_transport_of_subpolar_climate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>oceanic transport</I></U></A>  </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> BIRTHING A STAR</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >During summer, the amount of water vapor in air----as measured by the relative humidity----becomes very apparent to many of us. In addition to its myriad roles here on Earth, water vapor is believed by astrophysicists to play a critical role in our galaxy. As massive interstellar clouds of dust and gas are gravitationally compressed into newborn stars, it appears that water acts as a midwife. As the interstellar cloud is compressed, it heats up as a result of shock waves that also act to create water molecules from hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The newly created water vapor (along with hydrogen gas) then cools the heated cloud, permitting it to be compressed into a star. The amount of water in interstellar space increases dramatically during the star birthing process, and some of this water ends up on the newborn star's planetoids. Hence, much of the water on Earth may have been used to birth our Sun.</FONT>   <A HREF="id21___thermal_water_vapor_emission_from.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>star water</I></U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="2003_insights_1_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> 2003</div> <bR> <div> WATER'S GEOMETRY (part 1)</div> <bR> <div> While most of us are familiar with the six-pointed geometry of snowflakes, the fact that liquid water also produces a variety of 3-D geometries is not widely known. Liquid water's geometries exist only on the molecular scale, which is millions of times smaller than the scale of snowflakes. Scientists have used sophisticated x-ray technology to discover that liquid water molecules bond with, or connect to, their four nearest neighbors in order to create a 3-sided pyramid known as a <I>tetrahedron</I>. Moreover, it appears as though these water molecules are constantly "changing-out" their bonding partners such that the tetrahedra are re-created as many as a trillion times per second!  It has been suggested that water's frantically creating and destroying these molecular pyramids underlies its ability to behave as a liquid (albeit a strange one) and yet retain some of the molecular structure of a solid.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21_____sciencecommentary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>tetrahedral water</I></U></A><I>    </I></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" ><I> </I></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> WATER'S GEOMETRY (part 2)<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> So, liquid water can create geometric (and necessarily ephemeral) structures using its component molecules. Besides the 3-sided pyramid (tetrahedron), water also creates a more spherical 12-faced geometry known as a <I>dodecahedron</I>. The dodecahedron----closely resembling a soccer ball----is composed of twenty water molecules and is used to contain or envelop a wide variety of substances that are dissolved in water (e.g., oxygen). Recently, a British scientist proposed that liquid water also creates an <I>icosahedron</I>, which is a 20-faced rounded geometry that is composed of almost 300 molecules. While definitely a molecular-scale geometry (composed entirely of water molecules), this icosahedral "cluster" is enormous compared to the individual tetrahedra that comprise it. It is interesting to note that many ancient cultures associated an icosahedron with the elemental substance of water.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21__a_proposal_for_the_structuring_of.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>icosahedral water</I></U></A> </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >            </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> NETWORK COMPLEXITY</div> <bR> <div> The discovery that liquid water is best described as a complex network of interconnected molecules is one that has completely changed the thinking about how it may function. Systems theorists have postulated that relatively simple dynamic networks can account for a wide range of complex behaviors due, in large part, to rules that govern the switching of connections between elements. In water's network, the elements are represented by water molecules and the connections by <I>hydrogen bonds</I>, which are a magnetic type of linkage. These bonds are switched so rapidly (up to a trillion times per second) that scientists cannot even begin to decipher the governing rules. Nonetheless, theorists maintain that these kinds of systems are able to self-organize and to interact with their environment without the need for "programming" in a conventional sense. What can complexity theory tell us about water's network?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id20_universal_water_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U><I>water's complexity</I></U></A> </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> STRUCTURING WATER <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >As more is understood, or at least inferred, about the molecular structure of water's network, an obvious question arises as to the effects (if any) of structural changes on biological organisms. Because water is so fundamental to both the building and functioning of the human body, it is not surprising that the purposeful structuring of drinking water has become common. There are a plethora of structuring agents (e.g., gases, crystals, metals, powders, vortices, magnets, and even so-called pranic energies) that have been employed to produce "healthy" waters. Anecdotal accounts of the health benefits associated with drinking such waters are plentiful; however, scientific evaluations are rare. While these clustered waters may indeed provide a better external or starting solution than do purified waters, all biological molecules and surfaces ultimately re-structure water according to their internal "specifications."</FONT>   <A HREF="id21_1986___technology.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>clustered water</I></U></A> </div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="2004"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> 2004</div> <bR> <div> ENIGMATIC SEAWATER</div> <bR> <div> Although it comprises 97% of the planetary water, seawater's molecular structure is less well understood than that of pure (non-saline) water. The salts, or <I>ions</I>, in seawater appear to affect water's network by forcing the molecules to surround the ions, thus minimizing electrical and structural "disruptions" to the network. The grouping of water molecules around salts is believed to create more static and predictable molecular geometries than those characterizing pure water----perhaps creating a different type of network connectivity. Science maintains that seawater's major ions were introduced by the weathering of the planet's rocks and that the relative amounts of these ions have been constant for the last 600 million years. Exactly how the Earth has maintained seas of such constant salinity is not known; however, oceanographers have identified a number of common processes that both contribute and extract salts. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >  <A HREF="id21_2000___natural_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>seawater</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> SOLAR WATER</div> <bR> <div> The Sun is certainly not a location that one would expect to find water; nonetheless, water is definitely there----and on other stars in our galaxy as well. Although even water vapor cannot exist at temperatures approaching 6000 degrees (Celsius), which characterize the surface of the Sun, there are solar locations where the temperatures are a little less extreme. Astrophysicists have discovered that temperatures associated with so-called <I>sunspots </I>are cool enough to keep the water molecule from being torn apart into its component atomic and subatomic particles. So, what is water doing on the Sun? One answer is that water influences the electromagnetic (solar) radiation that escapes into interplanetary space, thus making the Sun and other stars appear more opaque than they would otherwise. There are many other suspected functions of this "fire water" that will likely be confirmed in the near future.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >   <A HREF="id21___water_on_the_sun_molecules.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>solar water</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> A LEGENDARY MEDIATOR</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >Whereas modern science has recently discovered that water mediates the transfer of energy and information between various components of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and the cosmos, ancient understandings of water have identified water as a kind of universal mediator. Many ancient cultures proclaimed that water mediates the appearance of matter (i.e., physical forms) from the unmanifested source. Water's mediation was often attributed either to is flow forms (e.g., whirlpools, ripples) or to its rhythms (e.g., tides, sounds). Moreover, some ancient peoples considered water and the mysterious aether (representing both the unseen world and the source of life force energies) to be intimately connected, such that the former often symbolized the latter. The universality of water's mediation was based on an ancient understanding that everything in the material world ultimately enters and exits through water.</FONT>   <A HREF="id21__naturalism_____.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>mediating water</I></U></A><A HREF="id21__naturalism_____.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U> </U></A></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> ETHERIC SYMBOLISM</div> <bR> <div> Recent books authored by Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto have captured the attention of readers and the media alike. His work includes microscopic photos of very different-looking ice crystals formed from waters that were reportedly exposed to various words and sounds. Emoto attributes his results to water's ability to reflect <I>Hado</I>, which describes an energy that pervades all matter. The proposed relationship between life force or etheric energies and water has some very old roots. The ancient Hawaiians apparently used water to symbolize the pathways and transformations of <I>mana </I>(life force) corresponding to various aspects of a human being. Similarly, many Christian traditions recognize so-called <I>living water</I> as the source of life provided by God. Finally, the Platonic solids that represent water (<I>icosahedron</I>) and aether (<I>dodecahedron</I>) are reciprocating and related to matter (<I>cube</I>) via the renowned golden ratio.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I>  </I><A HREF="id21__naturalism_____.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>water and aether</I></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="2005"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> 2005</div> <bR> <div> A WATER CRISIS?</div> <bR> <div> Is there a water crisis? The answer depends upon who is asked. Whereas many of the world's people struggle daily to collect enough clean water to sustain themselves, most of us postmodern Westerners simply turn on the tap and use however much we please. We tend to think of a water crisis as something that threatens humanity; however, this represents only one aspect of the so-called crisis. The very actions we have taken to secure "our" water have denied other (nonhuman) users of their access to water and have contributed to global environmental change. Moreover, our view of water as a right to be demanded from political or financial institutions, rather than as a gift for which to thank Nature or the Earth (as do many indigenous cultures), has created the illusion that humans reign supreme over planetary water. Is the water crisis something that happened to us or something we created from our ignorance and arrogance?   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id20_altered_perceptions_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U><I>water crisis</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> HUMMING ALONG</div> <bR> <div> One of the most puzzling discoveries in geophysics during the late twentieth century was that the Earth continuously vibrates at a very low frequency----about 12 octaves below the hearing threshold of humans. While this planetary hum, which is considerably more complex than sounds produced by earthquakes or volcanoes, had been previously noted by scientists----it was considered to be "background noise." Interestingly, the hum owes is existence to water on more than one account. First, the source of the hum is believed to be the winds that continuously blow over the planet's surface and result from the solar heating and phase changes of water. Second, the vibration is transmitted from the planet's surface down to its interior via seawater, which is able to efficiently transmit mechanical waves. Hence, perhaps the most fundamental vibration characterizing our planet is facilitated by the ubiquitous presence and unique properties of water.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I>   </I><A HREF="id21__excitation_of_earth_s_continuous_free.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>earthly hum</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> THE PRIMORDIAL WATERS<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >     </FONT></div> <bR> <div> According to many ancient traditions, a primordial sea represented the infinite, undifferentiated, and formless "chaos" that was believed to have existed before the division of the cosmos into heaven and earth. In fact, some of the earliest written history (i.e., Sumerian) apparently refers to this primordial state or Absolute as the <I>waters of chaos</I>. Why was water (particularly freshwater) such a popular ancient metaphor for the origin of the physical universe?  While the answer is not known for certain, modern theories suggest that ancient understandings of water's formlessness and unmanifested possibilities, along with its mysterious ability to mediate between the seen and unseen worlds, are likely candidates. This purported mediation, which has been reiterated by some modern naturalists, currently lacks a scientific explanation. Did ancient people understand something about water that most modern people do not?   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id20_universal_water_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U><I>waters of chaos</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> CHANGING PERCEPTIONS<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Trebuchet MS" >     </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >The dawn of the 21st century finds humanity in a precarious position with respect to this planet's water. From the quality and quantity of freshwater resources to the pollution and over-exploitation of seawater resources, it is perhaps time that we perceive water as something more than just a financial commodity. The postmodern Western view of water (as a commodity) is unique among human civilizations, which have historically treated water with respect, reverence, and awe. Our ancestors seem to have known or intuited something about water's role in the physical world (and particularly in creating its myriad forms) that we simply do not grasp. While it is unlikely that we will ever perceive water in the same way as did our ancestors, we may discover a true reverence for water within the context of our modern world. Such a change in perception will likely lead us to actions that will ultimately meet our challenges with water.   </FONT><A HREF="id20_altered_perceptions_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U><I>perceiving water</I></U></A> </div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="2006"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> 2006</div> <bR> <div> QUANTUM WEIRDNESS</div> <bR> <div> It turns out that water's hydrogen-bonded molecular network is even more enigmatic and indescribable than scientists first imagined. Recall that the ultrafast dynamics of this massive and complex network is what permits water to perform its "magic" and to exhibit its strange properties. Hydrogen bond dynamics owe their indescribability to a quantum phenomenon known as <I>zero-point vibrations, </I>which are not related to the common laws of motion (known as <I>kinetics</I>), but rather to an energy that exists even after all conventional energy disappears at absolute zero. This energy is sometimes designated as belonging to the aether or A-field, denoting a realm that contains energy (and perhaps matter) that is simply not part of our observable world----even though it affects our observable world.  It is interesting to note that many ancient descriptions of water suggest that it acts as a mediator between the seen and unseen worlds.   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21__the_quantum_elixir_new_scientist_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>quantum water</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> WATER AND ROCK</div> <bR> <div> While water and rock are often considered to be mutually exclusive entities, the former actually plays a pivotal role in the formation and properties of the latter. Most of the rock composing the crust of the Earth is produced from extensive ridges lying at the bottom of the world's oceans. The presence of water in molten rock affects its temperature and, ultimately, the thickness of the rock layer we refer to as "solid earth." When Earth's crust is recycled (or subducted) back into in the molten core, water not only lubricates the subduction of one rock slab past another, it also travels with and influences the melting rock. Besides serving as a component of the hard rocks we commonly encounter on the planet's surface, water is also a component of the molten rock we observe only during the eruption of some volcanoes. It should be noted that water occurs as part of the hard rock's crystalline matrix and not as a separate liquid.   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21__the_importance_of_water_to_oceanic.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>watery rocks</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> ROCK AND WATER</div> <bR> <div> In addition to affecting rock, water can also be affected by rock. Water's molecular structures and dynamics are obviously influenced by geologic-scale processes; however, tiny bits of rock suspended or dissolved in water (as colloids or ions, respectively) can also transform water. Whereas ions are often detected by water's salty taste, suspended rock is often detected by water's cloudy appearance. The finely pulverized rock influences many of water's physical properties (i.e., surface tension), as well as its apparent effects on those who drink it. Some researchers have postulated that mineral colloids are able to create very small molecular clusters within water that serve to better hydrate biological cells and, thus, reduce the damage caused by aging and certain pollutants. Even more mysterious (and controversial) is the observation that water need not directly contact the rock to exhibit some of these effects.  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21_1986___technology.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>aqueous minerals</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> PHARM WATERS</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#A6CAF0" FACE="Arial" >In addition to the suite of pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, and fuel components that are routinely found in freshwater ecosystems, there is a relative newcomer to this list. As a result of the Western world's addiction to prescription drugs, trace levels of these bioactive substances have shown up in the rivers, lakes, and even groundwater aquifers of North America and Europe. It was originally posited that these drugs, which treat everything from depression and impotence to heart disease and high cholesterol, originated with pharmaceutical manufacturers that improperly disposed of their wastes. Now it appears that much of the "drug load" is contributed by consumers who throw out or excrete these substances, which do not degrade in wastewater treatment plants. Not only do these drugs adversely affect the organisms inhabiting aquatic ecosystems, they occasionally end up in our drinking water sources.  </FONT><A HREF="id21_drugs_commentary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>drugs in water</I></U></A><I> </I></div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="2007"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></div> <div> 2007</div> <bR> <div> THE DEEP WATER CYCLE</div> <bR> <div> Besides the familiar water cycle that includes the oceans, atmosphere and soils, there is another global water cycle that lies deep beneath the planet's surface. Often referred to as the "deep water cycle," geologists describe the dynamics of hydrous (water-containing) silicates and hydrogen/oxygen atoms in solid, semi-solid, and molten layers of the Earth's interior.  Some researchers posit that this deep water reservoir is greater than that of surface oceans and is, in fact, what keeps the seawater volume relatively constant.  As previously described, water incorporated into the mineral matrix of rocks profoundly influences events such as earthquakes and volcanoes.  Speaking of earthquakes, the 2004 megaquake responsible for the Indonesian tsunami left a huge scar in the Earth's crust and mantle that has apparently "healed" faster than anticipated due to water's lessening the stress within the affected rocks.  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21__nominally_anhydrous_minerals_and.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>deep water cycle</I></U></A><I>.</I></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> CHAOTIC FRACTALS</div> <bR> <div> Researchers have found that water's assembly algorithms, representing the rules by which it self-organizes at all hierarchical levels, are a result of fractal-like structures. Fractals represent patterns that remain exactly the same (i.e., possess identical proportions) on vastly different scales (e.g., microcosm and macrocosm). The fractals produced by complex systems have been traced to so-called <I>strange attractors</I> that are associated with chaotic behaviors----a subset of which are applicable to water's hydrogen-bonded network. Moving from microcosm to macrocosm, both the complex motions of seawater within the oceans and the flow paths of surface or ground water within watersheds can be described by chaos and fractal patterns. Water's patterns are even displayed as basic structural properties of the biosphere, such that common flow forms (e.g., spirals, ripples) are often mimicked in the morphology of aquatic animal and plant species.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21_botanicus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>chaos and fractals</I></U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I> </I></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> MAKING MORE WATER?</div> <bR> <div> Can we simply produce more water?  The answer depends on what exactly one means by “producing” more water.  There is plenty of oxygen gas in the atmosphere to create more water; however, the problematic component is hydrogen gas because it is not readily available in our environment----at least not in the required concentrations and locations.  Hence, we are left to produce more usable freshwater either from unusable freshwater (e.g., currently inaccessible or polluted) or from seawater, both of which require huge amounts of energy.  There are a number of techniques available for capturing currently inaccessible water.  Condensation is a method of converting water vapor into liquid water by cooling humid air; however, it too is energy consumptive.  By contrast, practices such as permaculture, gray water usage, and rainwater harvesting have a tremendous potential to maximize water efficiency and to return us to a more hands-on relationship with water.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I>  </I><A HREF="id21__underground_condensation_of_humid_air.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>capturing water</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> WATER ETHICS</div> <bR> <div> Have many postmodern people lost or compromised their ethics regarding water?  A perceived lack of a water ethic was recognized at the First World Water Forum, where the Director-General of UNESCO called for a "new attitude" on water.  Unfortunately, a United Nations committee cannot simply impose water ethics, which are instead derived from people's individual and collective perceptions of water.  Forcing people into an ethical relationship with water using legislation, litigation, regulation, or any other well-meaning externality has proven futile.  Only when we begin to perceive water differently will we start to treat it differently; and it seems that the most effective means for our perceiving water differently is directly experiencing it in a manner that transcends its countless intellectual labels.  The issues of water quality, scarcity, privatization, and allocation are just consequences of our perceptions, which must shift before any lasting solutions are likely to appear.  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id20_altered_perceptions_1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings"><U><I>water ethics</I></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I> <A NAME="2008"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></I></div> <div> 2008</div> <bR> <div> WATER AND ENERGY (part 1)</div> <bR> <div> Whether obtaining, refining, transporting, growing, or disposing of the fuels used to drive our present-day world, water is integral to producing power and to cleaning-up the mess created by its production. Alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and fuel cells (hydrogen/oxygen) pose the least water demands, whereas nuclear, fossil, and biomass fuels pose the greatest demands. Using bioethanol as a major fuel source requires both a conversion of food to energy crops (diminishing the global food supply) and an expansion of the cultivated land under corporate agriculture (escalating the demand for and pollution of water). Interestingly, hydrogen can be produced in water by green algae, along with the combined efforts of two different types of bacteria, that collectively regenerate some of the very nutrients and precursors required for continued hydrogen production. This is an example of micro-scale sustainability in the production of a renewable fuel.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><I>  </I><A HREF="id21__commentarytechnology_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>water, energy, money</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> _____________________________</div> <bR> <div> WATER AND ENERGY (part 2)</div> <bR> <div> Regarding alternative energy sources that are less water-demanding, it is interesting to note that the greatest use of water for solar power is in manufacturing the hardware components for photovoltaics, solar panels, and batteries. Designers of the “water car” have demonstrated that converting automobiles to an onboard hydrogen-generating system is feasible, economical, and averts the problems associated with remotely producing, storing, and transporting large volumes of hydrogen gas. Essentially, the cars are equipped with an electrolysis cell that uses DC current to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen atoms, which then combine to form the two gases that are combusted to power the car. As we embark on a switch from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, we should keep in mind that the quantity, distribution, and quality of water available to support such a switch may prove to be the limiting factor. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21_a_new_gaseous_and_combustible_form_of.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U><I>energy from water</I></U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id21_a_new_gaseous_and_combustible_form_of.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Explorations"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.png" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>