Photograph by Felipe Skroski
Australian researchers claim to have established the existence of vast freshwater reserves trapped beneath the ocean floor on continental shelves off Australia, China, North America and South Africa.
In a study published in the journal Nature, scientists estimate that they have found around 500,000 cubic kilometers of low-salinity water beneath the seafloor.
The scientists, led by Vincent Post, from Australia’s Flinders University, discovered the water reserves whilst reviewing the seabed for oil and gas exploration purposes.
The pockets of fresh water are believed to have formed millions of years ago when sea levels were much lower, and were submerged after the ice caps melted 20,000 years, but remained protected from salination by sea water by protective layers of clay and sediment.
Scarcity of fresh water on the earth has led many to predict that future wars will be fought over the natural resource, as the world’s population continues to grow. This discovery could aid in helping reduce the number of people who live in water-scarce areas, which includes 40 percent of the world’s current population according to UN Water.