Where has all the water gone?

Ok, we've had little rainfall this year.
So we've got a hosepipe ban.

But I saw an advert earlier about it saying that the problem was that we've had low rainfall for the last two years.

So where has it all gone?
From what I was told about in school, there is a water cycle.
It rains.
Water evaporates and forms clouds.
It rains.
etc.

Are they seriously saying that for the last two years the amount of water up in the sky has been growing? I find that really hard to believe.

Or is it that the water hasn't been evaporating as much. In which case it must all still be here somewhere.

So where is it?
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Comments

  • david39
    david39 Posts: 1,968 Forumite
    The water is somewhere else, not in the parts of the UK that are affected by drought.

    The atmosphere is not fenced off into boundaries and does not recognise the demarcation lines between countries.

    I believe they've had unusually heavy rainfall in parts of Australia recently, so maybe some of our water has emigrated to over there.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    We also have very big reservoirs; the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean etc
  • spiro
    spiro Posts: 6,403
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    Also if the ground is too dry it does not soak in and fill the aquifiers or it runs off into the sea. The only water that is usable is that which falls on land or into a river that feeds the water supply network, anything else is of no use in the supply of drinking water.
    IT Consultant in the utilities industry specialising in the retail electricity market.

    4 Credit Card and 1 Loan PPI claims settled for £26k, 1 rejected (Opus).
  • JimmyTheWig
    JimmyTheWig Posts: 12,199
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    Ahh, yes, I hadn't thought of those things.


    Thanks!
  • sharpy2010
    sharpy2010 Posts: 2,471 Forumite
    I wonder why they don't pump water into the reservoirs from the sea?

    There must be a reason, and I don't claim to be an expert on water supplies having no knowledge whatsoever of it, but how come they don't just do this?
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    sharpy2010 wrote: »
    I wonder why they don't pump water into the reservoirs from the sea?

    There must be a reason, and I don't claim to be an expert on water supplies having no knowledge whatsoever of it, but how come they don't just do this?

    Salt! Salt!
  • alleycat`
    alleycat` Posts: 1,901
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    Cardew wrote: »
    Salt! Salt!

    Pretty much spot on.

    I have to say though;
    I'm unsure why money is not invested in more reservoirs?
    Research into making desalination more cost effective.
    More cost effective use of "grey water".
    New build houses having rain water collected for either inbuilt gardening systems (or toilet flushing) and a rebate on "water carriage" for houses that use such systems.

    Finally the biggest issue, to my mind, is that we have too much of the population of the country living in too small an area to be supported by the water supply available.
  • penrhyn
    penrhyn Posts: 15,215
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    sharpy2010 wrote: »
    I wonder why they don't pump water into the reservoirs from the sea?

    There must be a reason, and I don't claim to be an expert on water supplies having no knowledge whatsoever of it, but how come they don't just do this?

    Tell me you are joking?
    That gum you like is coming back in style.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    alleycat` wrote: »
    I'm unsure why money is not invested in more ...
    Research into making desalination more cost effective.

    There are countless billions spent on research into desalination plants.

    Without desalination the Middle East countries would largely not exist in their present form; they are totally dependent on desalination.
  • alleycat`
    alleycat` Posts: 1,901
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    Cardew wrote: »
    There are countless billions spent on research into desalination plants.

    Without desalination the Middle East countries would largely not exist in their present form; they are totally dependent on desalination.

    I was meaning more along the lines of why aren't we, as a country, utilising it.
    It isn't like we have a massive abundance of coast line or anything.... :o
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