Lara Abrams Communications

Something for Water Technology Companies To Think About…

I was reading Scientific American tonight…http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00018706-7F7C-13A8-BF7C83414B7F0000 Thought this might interest some of you. It’s an article about the disappearing surface permafrost in the Artic. Most interesting to me, in the article, was this: "… Arctic rivers already carry 7 percent more fresh water to the ocean today than they did in the 1930s. The model correctly predicts this rise and points to as much as a 28 percent increase in water flow by century’s end, as water drains through northern ground without being blocked by frozen soil. This could impact everything from the formation of sea ice to the circulation of currents in the Arctic Ocean. Even more troubling, this permafrost layer contains anywhere from 20 to 60 percent of the carbon trapped in soils in the world. Thawing could lead to a massive "positive feedback loop" that pushes global greenhouse gas concentrations ever higher. "The major feedback is the possible accelerated rate of decomposition of organic matter that is currently ‘locked up’ in the frozen soil, leading to increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as [carbon dioxide] and methane," Lawrence says. "If this emission occurs on a large-scale, it could speed up or enhance global warming." –David Biello". Needless to say, that leads me to believe that desalination technologies are only going to become VERY hot ticket items, and that I think I want to make sure I continue to live on a high hill in relatively cool climes… Have a good night - L

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To contact Lara, please email her at lara@laraabrams.com or call 415 613 1704.