Massive Body Of Water Found Under Chinese Desert
Even with the heat of the summer season on the wane, people all over the world are still going to have global warming on their minds — and with it, the well-being of water. The years to come will show whether we’ll have enough, too much, or none at all. In the meantime, at least, there’s one area that might make it out all right — even if it defies common sense.
China’s Tarim Basin isn’t exactly known for its green pastures; it essentially amounts to a desert, and a sizable one at that. Thanks to arid conditions and surrounding mountains, it’s lucky to see even a slight bit of rainfall over the course of a year. Despite that, it was recently discovered that the basin hides an enormous amount of water — ten times that of all five of America’s Great Lakes put together, and even then there could still be more. Given its location underground — and under a desert, of course — it’s not as if reaching that water is a simple task.
Then again, it might be for the best if the water stays sealed away. Carbon dioxide from the mountains has long since made its way inside; if something happened, it would release tons of greenhouse gases all at once. Coupled with contamination from agricultural runoff — and again, the desert that hides it — this may be an instance of leaving nature alone.
