What water cycle?

Many of the ways we use water shows no regard for the hydrological cycle. In this way, we often treat different forms of water as detached, unconnected elements with varying levels of importance.

Coast of Maui near Paia || December 26, 2017

The hydrological cycle contains numerous elements that would not be possible without those prior or following. Evaporation of ocean waters condenses water and populates clouds with moisture that they transport and return to the land through precipitation, fog, snow, among many other forms. One of the key physical processes is called evapotranspiration, which transports water from the ground, upward through the trunks, branches, and leaves of vegetation back into the atmosphere. Taking a look underground, groundwater stores feed surface water systems such as rivers and streams, which, in turn, outflow a portion of their water to groundwater somewhere downstream.

"Not all types of water are seen as being equally important or relevant in society..." - Terje Oestigaard

When we divert rivers for irrigation of vast farms and landscapes, we assign surface water the highest importance without considering the importance of the groundwater that we are depleting. When we deforest massive regions in the Amazon, we do not consider the resulting absence of moisture in the air caused by the lack of evapotranspiration. If there are no trees to transport water from the ground to the air, there will be less rainfall.

Valuing various types of water equally requires us to understand the interconnections of the hydrological cycle and the zero-sum game of water resources on Earth.