Don't you just hate it when your planet leaks?

Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology have calculated that about 1.12 billion tonnes of water leaks into the Earth each year. Although a lot of water also moves in the other direction, not enough comes to the surface to balance what is lost.

Eventually, lead researcher Shigenori Maruyama and his colleagues believe, all of it will disappear.

A billion years, eh? Better hurry and pass a treaty against it or something.

Let me be the first, if not the last, to blame George Bush.

Obviously, this is caused by the evil industrialists. First, let us note that the root cause is that the Earth is cooling, allowing it to retain more water. Second, let us note that global warming is obviously caused by industry. Third, the obvious fact that Global warming is what will cause the ice age.

QED, industrialists are to blame. QED, Bush is to blame. QED, we must eliminate the human infestation on this planet.

See! It's that blasted DHMO stuff again!

We have to impeach Bush now in order to save the world from DHMO and its capitalist masters!

This leakage of water into the Earth is almost certainly connected to the arsenic George Bush put into that water. You blind fools, don't you see?!?!

That's interesting. I wonder if there's any parallel between this, and what happened to Mars?

WTF, I thought sea levels were rising.

Does anyone else get the impression that environmental scientists haven't got the first clue about what is actually happening with our planet, and merely spout whatever matches their own personal ideologies?

Ed: no, but the eco-reactionaries certainly do exhibit creative ignorance.

Leland: do think about it some more. Hint: very different timescales.

you're making yourself a bunch of idiots and assholes.

you're making yourself a bunch of idiots and assholes.

Really? And how is that?

Speaking of which, you might want to get yourself a new keyboard, with a working shift key.

Although I can't find it right now, I remember reading that a very large number of small, icy meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere on a regular basis (and the link below attests to how abundant water is in the universe) and yet I see no evidence this input variable was factored into this projection. Perhaps the full paper discusses this...?

http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=142

Perhaps we have a mass extinction when the Earth feels bloated?

I remember reading that a very large number of small, icy meteors enter the Earth's atmosphere on a regular basis

This was a theory put out nine years ago by some people at U. of Iowa. They interpreted holes in upper atmosphere UV emission (as seen by a particular satellite) as due to disintegration of very small icy comets, with the water blocking the UV.

The responses to this paper were not kind, to say the least. The comets would have to have amazing (read: fantastical) properties to avoid detection in multiple other ways, ways that failed to offer up evidence of their existence.

I think the general consensus was: (1) they were seeing noise in their detectors, and (2) those people have jumped the shark scientifically. Old scientist's disease can be very sad.

http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast09dec97_2.htm

This was a theory put out nine years ago by some people at U. of Iowa.

Longer ago than that. Louis Frank was pushing it back in the mid eighties.

Yes, I had forgotten just when it had started.

"you're making yourself a bunch of idiots and assholes."

As with yourself, they were pre-made, we did not make them, we are simply making fun of them.

Leland: do think about it some more. Hint: very different timescales.

Paul: do find a sense of humor. Hint: it's a joke. (first clue should have been the "WTF" lead in)

I'm having unavoidable visions of all those cartoons that had a drain plug in the sea floor...

This is okay considering the Earth is really just a neutron star that creates water. If it didn't sink of somewhere we'd been flooded out a long time ago.

This is okay considering the Earth is really just a neutron star that creates water.

Sounds like Josh has been smoking the really strong stuff. Or maybe he's another person who forgot the funny="yes" attribute in his humor tag.