Water Cycle Basics

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Context •Environment •Sustainability •Water •Nomads •
Posted by Rezwan • Apr 11, 2009 • (0) Comments •
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It's been raining in Shiraz! Is it enough to turn Shiraz into a lush paradise? To stave off drought and destruction?

You may ask "How much rain has fallen?", but the more important question is: "What happens to the rain after it falls?"

How much rain has fallen?

I asked a geologist if he knew what our cumulative rainfall was so far this year. He didn't, offhand.

I asked if he knew of a website that publishes this information. He didn't.

If YOU know, let us know right away!

This kind of information needs to be public. We need constant awareness of water. A giant display/tally/counter in the center of town would be nice, to help us keep track of rainfalll.

What happens after the rain falls?

Now to the more important issue. Just because rain falls, doesn't mean it will do any good for our agriculture, environment or economy.

It's one thing to measure how much rain falls from the sky. It's another to measure how efficiently your land holds on to it and uses it.

Does the water simply run off? Does it evaporate right back into the sky? How do we measure ground water recharge?

This website explains the water cycle. Recommended.

You must view this "Water Cycle Basics" slideshow.


There is a lot of food for thought here:

Water constantly cycles around between bodies of water, the sky, and the earth. The cycle is powered by the sun. The most important factor in the way the water cycle works is the soil, particularly the soil surface -- where the earth meets the air.

Particularly in seasonally arid or brittle environments -- which cover two-thirds of the earth's land area -- soil cover is essential to the biodiversity (including biomass) and complexity that is needed for the soil to gain and store water, which is a basic necessity for all life.

This site advocates a biological management approach rather than engineering. Engineering (irrigation, dams, flood control) only manage the symptoms. This video explains further:



This website cooperates with HMI and Dan Daggett, author of "Gardener's of Eden". They argue that grasslands and grazing animals are beneficial to the water cycle - provided they are properly managed. It's not as simple as the "overgrazing" paradigm.

Because Iran can be classified as being a "seasonally arid or brittle environment", the work of this emerging group of land use managers should be investigated here. This is another item for my project list: to bring some land here under management systems described by this movement to see if it actually works as described in their handy flash movies. Coming soon, more links to this sort of concept, as well as its critics.

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