Freshwater

"Fresh water" redirects here. For the village on the Isle of Wight, see Freshwater, Isle of Wight.

The surface of a freshwater lake in daylight.

Freshwater refers to bodies of water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Freshwater is an important renewable resource, necessary for the survival of most terrestrial organisms, and is required by humans for drinking and agriculture, among many other uses. Despite its importance, freshwater continues to be wasted and degraded all over the world. The UN estimates that about 1.2 billion people (18 percent of the world\'s population) lack access to safe drinking water.[1]

Contents 1 Numerical definition 2 Water distribution 3 Aquatic organisms 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Numerical definition

Freshwater is defined as water with less than 0.5 parts per thousand dissolved salts.Groundwater Glossary (2006-03-27). Retrieved on 2006-05-14. Freshwater bodies include lakes, rivers, and some bodies of underground water. The ultimate source of freshwater is the precipitation of atmosphere in the form of rain and snow.

Water salinity based on dissolved salts in parts per thousand (ppt)
freshwater	Brackish water	Saline water	Brine
< 0.5	0.5 - 35	35 - 50	> 50

Water distribution

Access to unpolluted freshwater is a critical issue for the survival of many species, including humans, who must drink freshwater in order to survive. Only three percent of the water on Earth is freshwater in nature, and about two-thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. Most of the rest is underground and only 0.3 percent is surface water. Freshwater lakes, most notably Lake Baikal in Russia and the Great Lakes in North America, contain seven-eighths of this fresh surface water. Swamps have most of the balance with only a small amount in rivers, most notably the Amazon River. The atmosphere contains 0.04% water. Gleick, Peter; et al. (1996). in Stephen H. Schneider: Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. Oxford University Press.  In areas with no freshwater on the ground surface, freshwater derived from precipitation may, because of its lower density, overlie saline ground water in lenses or layers.

Aquatic organisms

Freshwater creates a hypotonic environment for aquatic organisms. This is problematic for some organisms, whose cell membranes will burst if excess water is not excreted. Some protists accomplish this using Contractile vacuoles, while freshwater fish excrete excess water via the kidney.Vertebrate Kidneys (2002-11-03). Retrieved on 2006-05-14. Although most aquatic organisms have a limited ability to regulate their osmotic balance and therefore can only live within a narrow range of salinity, diadromous fish have the ability to migrate between freshwater and saline water bodies. During these migrations they undergo changes to adapt to the surroundings of the changed salinities; these processes are hormonally controlled. The eel (Anguilla anguilla) uses the hormone prolactin, while in salmon (Salmo salar) the hormone cortisol plays a key role during this process.

See also

• Desalination
• Limnology
• Seawater
• Water (molecule)
• Water cycle
• Water resources

References

External links

• Freshwater life.org
• Freshwater Biological Association
• Review of freshwater ecology in the UK
• UK Government Environmental Agency website
• Pond Conservation. UK National pond monitoring network

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