For open minds
Unlike the other planets in our solar system Earth’s surface is about 70% water. Why is that? Shouldn’t the sun have dried out all the water long ago?
As it turns out our water is alien. We’ve Carbonaceous Chondrites from beyond the frost line to thank.
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What do you make of the science? Is it surprising that water isn’t native to this planet? Imagine what that means for holy water, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy and countless other water based activities.
You might well think there’s some monster in the water. If I had said this was filmed at Loch Ness then the first 10 seconds or so would surely show the Loch Ness monster.
But no, the creature here is a water monster we all know about but sometimes forget how dangerous it can be. In this case, I’m glad the camera man is in a fast boat she they’ve clearly angered something much more powerful than they are.
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Are you surprised by the video? Surprised that something so large can travel so fast?
We all know that large collections of plastic are harmful and a problem in the ocean. As it turns out that micro-plastics are just as dangerous even if it is much harder to track their effect.
This useful video from Minute Earth has notched up over half a million views in half a year. Do you think each one of those people renewed their efforts to avoid water pollution?
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Are you worried about micro-plastic pollution? What are you doing about it?
If you want to support a charity that directly works with the enviroment then two interesting ones to consider are the National Trust and Royal Horticultural Society. Both are keenly involved in making sure humankind and nature get on well together.
The Wild Ammonoosuc River, in Woodsville, starts off as frozen over with thick ice. You can see how thick the ice is because there is a large crack in it.
The language in the video gets a little sweary as the as the spectators begin to see what’s rushing down towards them. Up river the ice has finally broken and cracked under the weight. This has caused a chain reaction of rushing water and chunks of ice that carve up the frozen river as it tumbles downwards.
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Do you have a river near you that acts like this?
This remarkable video shows hikers trekking across a frozen lake in Slovakian Mountains. If you’ve not watched it yet and are wondering what the fuss is about – the video’s had more than 3m views in just 4 days of being online. Viewing figures like that are a good hint at how odd and yet beautiful the lake is.
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Have you ever explored a lake when it has been frozen over? Was it scary? Was it wise to do so?
Rivers that run down from mountains tend to run straight so why is it that rivers start to form curves and bend once they hit flat ground?
Is it possible for a river to meet itself as it bends or even get stuck in a loop?
This video from MinuteEarth explores.
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Are you a fan of taking holidays by lakes or going for walks along the river? Let us know your favourite rivers and things to do in the comments below.
Nature has a way of making the humble drop of water look wonderful. Okay, sometimes we’re talking about more than just a single drop… that’s not cheating. That’s just nature being even more impressive.
Here are seven scenes of wonderful water. Which is your favourite?
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Do you know of an equally wonderful water scene? Why not share the link in the comments below?
Pictures via /r/pictures and Imgur.
The company behind An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc and The Cove have created another documentary designed to encourage social responsibility. It’s called Last Call at the Oasis.
Last Call at the Oasis takes a look at water – at how much we need water and how badly we waste it.
There’s a website, also called Last Call at the Oasis, in place to act as the central communications pub. The film is due to hit some cinemas (probably in America) on May the 4th (Star Wars day) and will hopefully go from strength to strength.
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If you want you can follow Last Call at the Oasis via their Twitter account @LastCallOasis.
Are you going to do anything to change how you consume water? Or have you seen the documentary; what did you make of it?
This video from Charity: Water is superb. It’s clear and easy to follow. It spells out the case very clearly for investing in better water solutions.
Charity: Water is particularly popuar among internet geeks like this blogger. A lot of internet companies spend their CSR efforts helping this charity. For example, if you’re on GetGlue then you can check into Earth Day and pick up a charity: water badge today.
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Do you think we could be doing any more to help solve the water crisis or is it ust a matter of raising the money, putting the solutions in motion and waiting for projects to complete?
This 10 minute animation was created for World Water Day 2011. The man leading the project is Chris Perry, who previously worked at Pixar.
The video shows mankind exploting the local natural world, gobbling up its resources for themselves and failing to notice that it was destroying the local ecosystem.
There’s an unexpected hero and terrible consequences.
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What do you think? Any good? Do you think the film will encourage people to think more closely about their water use?