2008 Woodie Awards
Water is still everywhere, almost, for now
Professor Jaclyn Cockburn Geology Department
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Sci/Tech
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After reading Professor Anderson's article on the importance of water and the uniqueness of its molecular structure, I wanted to continue to keep students interested in the topic, but steer the discussion towards water as a resource. For those living in the northeast, water hardly seems limited; it certainly appears to be ubiquitous in our environment…and has been that way for a long time. In fact, the landscape around us is almost entirely due to geomorphological processes such glaciers and rivers, which are both powerful agents of landscape change that are dependent on water in either its solid or liquid form. (Geomorphology is the study of landscapes through their form and the processes that contribute to their shape). Water and its landscape shaping capabilities in the traditional process geomorphology sense is large topic, as is water from the biological and chemical viewpoints. But, let's talk about water as a resource and its influence on society. When it comes to people and water, it may not always be "water under the bridge."
Water has, and still is, an important factor contributing to civilization and human well-being. For 3,000 years, Egypt flourished along the banks of the Nile because people recognized and valued its importance. Other civilizations developed and prospered along the banks of rivers similar to the Nile; for example, Mesopotamia and the Euphrates, ancient China and the Yellow River, and the beginnings of Indian civilizations within the Indus River valley. Rivers have forever been considered the catalysts of organized agriculture and the birthplaces of civilizations. Today, rivers continue to serve important roles in society.
Closer to home, the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers have served multiple roles in the history of New York and the northeast. The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers were settled by the Dutch in the early part of the 17th century, and the Hudson was a strategic waterway during the American Revolution. The banks of these rivers are where factories and people began to settle and build cities and families from the 19th-Century through the present day. In addition to places for communities, these rivers link with the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway to form major commercial transportation routes.
Water has, and still is, an important factor contributing to civilization and human well-being. For 3,000 years, Egypt flourished along the banks of the Nile because people recognized and valued its importance. Other civilizations developed and prospered along the banks of rivers similar to the Nile; for example, Mesopotamia and the Euphrates, ancient China and the Yellow River, and the beginnings of Indian civilizations within the Indus River valley. Rivers have forever been considered the catalysts of organized agriculture and the birthplaces of civilizations. Today, rivers continue to serve important roles in society.
Closer to home, the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers have served multiple roles in the history of New York and the northeast. The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers were settled by the Dutch in the early part of the 17th century, and the Hudson was a strategic waterway during the American Revolution. The banks of these rivers are where factories and people began to settle and build cities and families from the 19th-Century through the present day. In addition to places for communities, these rivers link with the Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway to form major commercial transportation routes.
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