Studying Mars may provide clues to our planet's future
"Will we ever run out of water?," asked Sarah Hidalgo, 11, a fifth-grader at O'Plaine School in Gurnee.
The existence of life separates Earth from the other planets, and a key ingredient to the recipe for life on Earth is water.
One reason scientists study other planets is to better understand our own planet -- how it formed, how life formed on Earth, and what the future holds.
"Forever is a long time, so it is difficult to know what will happen really far into the future," said Professor Stephen C. Riser, School of Oceanography at Seattle's Washington University.
Scientists are testing the waters, so to speak, by examining our neighbor Mars, which once had water but is now dry.
Since 1965, NASA scientists have been launching probes into Mars' orbit. Even early missions proved that Mars, which is completely dry today, must have had rivers at a point in time.
"It seems increasingly plausible that Mars once had water and oceans, but presently Mars is a very dry planet with little or no water present at its surface," said Professor Riser.
NASA landed two rovers on Mars in 2004 which are still transmitting information back to Earth. The rovers traveled to the polar regions and roamed through river beds. They are searching for rocks that can only come from areas where water once existed. Scientists are examining data on the geology and climate and also developing theories as to the possibility that life might have existed on Mars.
Here on Earth, most of the planet is covered with water. "On Earth, we should seem to have an endless supply of water in our oceans. About 98 percent of all water on the Earth resides in the ocean, with most of the remainder stored in continental ice and underground," Professor Riser said.
"As long as our climate remains constant, we shouldn't have to worry about running out of water," he said. "If the climate was to undergo massive changes, either due to natural variations or alteration due to human activities, there might be major changes in our water supply. But this would likely take hundreds or thousands of years, enough time to formulate a solution to the problem."
For more information
The Grayslake Public Library suggests these titles on water:
• "A Drop of Water," by Gordon Morrison
• "A Drop in the Ocean: The Story of Water," by Jacqui Bailey
• "Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water?" by Robert E. Wells
• "A Drop of Water," by Walter Wick
• "A Cool Drink of Water," by Barbara Kerley