The rain started to fall on Earth some 2.8 billion years ago and Antarctica is considered the least rainy place on earth. How Long Can We Survive Without Rains? But what would happen if it stopped raining? How long will humanity survive without the rain we’ve always had? What’s the first thing that will be affected? Would there be anything left except for a dusty shell, or would Life find a way?
At first, it would seem like there is nothing to worry about. Because a whopping 72% of Earth consists of water. But water is not endless. Nearly 577,060 cubic meters of water evaporates from the earth’s surface every year! Without rain to replenish this water, our rivers and oceans would start to dry, until there is no water left.
Let’s take a look at a world without rain. For starters, it wouldn’t be quite so green for very long. With no rain, all vegetation would quickly die out. Think about it: Vegetables and fruit will be no more.
This complicates things for, you know, pretty much anything that eats. This means that animals that feed on plants will no longer have anything to eat and would soon starve to death. Without herbivores, the meat-eating predators would be next to fall. Without oceans and rivers, marine life would cease to exist.
At this point, humans will have nothing to eat. Without water, an average person can live a little more than three days. Even if humans have stocked up food to last for a while, they will die of dehydration. If the rain ceased to fall, people would drop like flies thanks to the rampant diseases that would be spreading across the globe.
Without plants to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, there would be no oxygen to breathe. All life forms that use oxygen would cease to exist. On top of providing us with the air we breathe, plants and trees protect us from other harsh natural elements like the scorching sun rays and harmful winds.
Without these protectors, the earth’s temperature will begin rising alarmingly. According to some estimates, temperatures could increase annually by as much as 36 degrees Celsius. Our world will be on fire, literally!
A thick layer of oxidized dust will settle over everything gradually. Our world would take on a reddish tint. If that sounds familiar, That’s because we may as well be discussing the planet Mars!
Remarkably, this wouldn’t mean the end of all life on Earth. Evolution has a funny way of persevering even in the most difficult of circumstances. Over the millennia, certain microbes known as “extremophiles” have evolved to be capable of living without water.
See Also
- 5 Easy Steps to Prevent Kidney Stones
- What Causes The Smell After Rain?
- 5 Easy Steps to Prevent Kidney Stones
- Water’s Surprising Secrets Revealed: What You Didn’t Know!
Maybe these extremophiles will evolve into a new advanced species that can survive without water and oxygen. What would a world inhabited by these creatures look like?
