Science

I learned something new this morning. There was an article on the newsfeed about a shortage of fresh water in parts of the world, and it also referenced the process of reverse osmosis desalination—a method used in relieving that shortage.

I got to wondering about what effect this has on sea levels (i.e., would the oceans ever run low, given increasing demand?), so I asked ChatGPT about it and found that the oceans are so big that it really doesn’t have any effect on ocean water levels. The cyclical nature of evaporation and rain water, etc., also work to keep things in some sort of balance.

One concern, though, is that salt collected in the process is returned to the oceans, and this needs to be done in a way that doesn’t affect marine life and create unhealthy concentrations. This must be done properly and responsibly.

In any event, it’s something of a relief to learn that, if I’m understanding it correctly, the need for fresh water doesn’t involve robbing Peter to pay Paul.