Multiple geochemical studies have concluded that asteroids are most likely the primary source of Earth's water. Carbonaceous chondrites–which are a subclass of the oldest meteorites in the Solar System–have isotopic levels most similar to ocean water.
Currently, the most favored explanation for where the Earth got its water is that it acquired it from water-rich objects (planetesimals) that made up a few percent of its building blocks. These water-rich planetesimals would have been either comets or asteroids.
The water formed was mostly in the form of vapour and got mixed with the cosmic dust to reach the surface of the earth. When earth was formed, these water vapours cooled down to form oceans, seas, rivers lakes and other water bodies.
Over billions of years, countless comets and asteroids have collided with Earth, enriching our planet with water. Chemical markers in the water of our oceans suggest that most of the water came from asteroids.
Mineralogical evidence from zircons has shown that liquid water and an atmosphere must have existed 4.404 ± 0.008 billion years ago, very soon after the formation of Earth.
Water flows endlessly between the ocean, atmosphere, and land. Earth's water is finite, meaning that the amount of water in, on, and above our planet does not increase or decrease.
The planets of our solar system were created around 4.6 billion years ago from clumps of rocks spinning around the Sun. Earth was moulded from rocks that came from the inner solar system where the fierce heat of the Sun would have boiled away any water. So, according to the textbooks, water must have come later.
The water on our Earth today is the same water that's been here for nearly 5 billion years. So far, we haven't managed to create any new water, and just a tiny fraction of our water has managed to escape out into space. The only thing that changes is the form that water takes as it travels through the water cycle.
To create water, oxygen and hydrogen atoms must be present. Mixing them together doesn't help; you're still left with just separate hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The orbits of each atom's electrons must become linked, and to do that we must have a sudden burst of energy to get these shy things to hook up.
A team of researchers studying the origin of the water in our solar system has concluded that up to half of it formed before the sun itself was born—that is, in the cloud of dust and gas that was the progenitor of our solar system. If water can form in abundance in such clouds, then it may be found everywhere.
Some of the water molecules in your drinking glass were created more than 4.5 billion years ago, according to new research. That makes them older than the Earth, older than the solar system — even older than the sun itself.
New research suggests ancient Earth was a water world, with little to no land in sight. And that could have major implications for the origin and evolution of life. While modern Earth's surface is about 70 percent water-covered, the new research indicates that our planet was a true ocean world some 3 billion years ago.
Unless water use is drastically reduced, severe water shortage will affect the entire planet by 2040. "There will be no water by 2040 if we keep doing what we're doing today". - Professor Benjamin Sovacool, Aarhus University, Denmark.
While our planet as a whole may never run out of water, it's important to remember that clean freshwater is not always available where and when humans need it. In fact, half of the world's freshwater can be found in only six countries. More than a billion people live without enough safe, clean water.
Five billion people, or around two-thirds of the world's population, will face at least one month of water shortages by 2050, according to the first in a series of United Nations reports on how climate change is affecting the world's water resources.
In short, no, bottled water doesn't “go bad.” In fact, the FDA doesn't even require expiration dates on water bottles. Although water itself doesn't expire, the bottle it comes in can expire, in a sense.
Yes, it is possible to make water. Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The process to combine hydrogen and oxygen is very dangerous though. Hydrogen is flammable and oxygen feeds flames, so the reaction to create water often results in an explosion.
Who discovered the water? It was the chemist Henry Cavendish (1731 – 1810), who discovered the composition of water, when he experimented with hydrogen and oxygen and mixed these elements together to create an explosion (oxyhydrogen effect).
At its beginning, Earth was unrecognizable from its modern form. At first, it was extremely hot, to the point that the planet likely consisted almost entirely of molten magma. Over the course of a few hundred million years, the planet began to cool and oceans of liquid water formed.
Many scientists believe that RNA, or something similar to RNA, was the first molecule on Earth to self-replicate and begin the process of evolution that led to more advanced forms of life, including human beings.
How is water made in nature? Research suggests that the water on Earth came from asteroids and heavy clouds of gas and dust soon after the formation of the sun. Moreover, Earth's atmosphere is filled with oxygen, which joins with deuterium and hydrogen to create water.
Our Sun is middle-aged, with about five billion years left in its lifespan. However, it's expected to go through some changes as it gets older, as we all do — and these changes will affect our planet.
At the current rate of solar brightening—just over 1% every 100 million years—Earth would suffer this "runaway greenhouse" in 600 million to 700 million years. Earth will suffer some preliminary effects leading up to that, too.
Don't worry. The oceans aren't going to dry up. At least not any time soon, so no need to add it to the list of things to worry about. But, what would our planet look like if they did?
Australia's Water Supply
With an average annual rainfall of only 469mm per year, Australia's water situation is quite dire. Australia is also the driest continent inhabited by humans, with very limited freshwater sources.