Did water or oxygen come first on Earth? In the beginning, there was no oxygen in the Earth’s primitive atmosphere. Water vapor in the atmosphere turned into clouds and rained down, creating lakes and seas, and photosynthetic organisms living in the water released oxygen. Oxygen is produced in the atmosphere due to the presence of water.
Water is deeply involved in the history of life on Earth. Water is the source of life and has led to the birth and evolution of mankind. Therefore, if you know the relationship between water and life, you will be able to properly look at the preciousness of water. Furthermore, we will recognize the water crisis and look for alternatives.
4.6 billion years ago when the earth was formed, the beginning of the earth was a red-hot planet where meteorites and comets flew in and volcanoes erupted. Volcanic eruptions released gases from the Earth’s interior, creating a primitive atmosphere containing carbon dioxide and water vapour. As the Earth’s surface slowly cooled, water vapor turned into clouds and rained, creating lakes and seas four billion years ago. Blue-green algae, photosynthetic organisms that have lived in water since 3.5 billion years ago, emit oxygen, and the oxygen ratio in the atmosphere increased to 21% 2.2 billion years ago. Life appeared on Earth 400 million years ago as the ozone layer formed by oxygen blocked harmful solar ultraviolet rays. Homo sapiens, the ancestor of mankind, appeared only 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, and mankind continued to evolve, leading the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution around 9,000 years ago. It was because there was water on Earth that mankind was born and evolved.
The first life on Earth lived without oxygen. There are organisms that can survive without oxygen. The bacteria that make botoxo, which is used to treat wrinkles. However, no organism can live without water. Even viruses need water to multiply. In the cytoplasm of cells, which are the basic units of life, there is a biological factory that produces genes and energy. About 70% of the cytoplasm is water, and water is essential for copying genes and making nutrients and energy.
Water, the main force behind the birth of life and the core of life, now threatens human survival. The US National Ice and Snow Data Center reported that Antarctic sea ice has been melting rapidly since 2016. The Thwaites Glacier, the ice wall between the ocean and land of Antarctica, is also melting rapidly. There is also a prediction that if the Thwaites Glacier melts, the Antarctic land glacier will melt into the sea in a chain, raising the sea level by up to 3m. Land near the sea can be under water.
Climate change is getting worse all over the world. In 2022, La Niña, where the water temperature in the Pacific Ocean drops, overlaps with global warming, leading to abnormal weather such as heavy rain in India, heavy snowfall in North America, and heat waves in the United Kingdom. Korea also suffered major damage due to heavy rains in the central region and drought in the southern region. Climate change is exacerbating water problems. Jeju Island cannot be an exception to climate change. Frequent heavy rains and droughts also affect groundwater production and use. This is also the reason why Jeju Island is actively promoting the ‘2040 Plastic Zero Island’ policy.
Water was created on Earth, and aquatic life appeared, and oxygen was created, and mankind was born. Humans evolved with water. We will be with water in the future. March 22 every year is World Water Day, designated by the United Nations. The theme of this year’s Water Day is ‘Accelerating Change’. I hope that the heart that appreciates the environment and water resources will be transformed into action.
※ This column may not correspond to the editorial direction of this magazine.
