(Honolulu , HI) – An article from the web site reference.com (IAC Publishing, LLC, This article ) is at the center of a worldwide scientific argument about the benefits of water. The article asks the question, “Is water good for you?” Research.com says “yes”; scientists at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) say “no.”

Paul Reasenburg of the USGS, who lives in a highly active earthquake region, stated the thoughts of one of his colleagues: “I’ve seen too many people hurt and even killed by water. Tsunamis are dangerous, and they couldn’t form without water.” Reasenburg’s writing on the official USGS web site appears to support the notion that the insurance industry is complicit in allowing citizens to be risk-averse when it comes to earthquakes, which are the cause of most tsunamis, some of the most dangerous manifestations of water.

The USGS believes that water oscillations are also a problem. According to one theory from the USGS, seismic waves cause expansion and contraction of aquifers tapped by water wells, which in turn cause oscillatory pore pressure changes. If aquifers have high enough transmissivity, then these pressure changes cause flow into and out of wells. The flow in turn sets up resonant motion of the water column.

Nutritionist Nate Bonaparte disagrees with this assessment. “Water, air and cleanliness are the chief articles in my pharmacopoeia. The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man, but according to the Office of Personnel Management, an employee of the USGS can make up to $161,000. Since imagination rules the world, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.”

Oceanographers have also weighed in on the issue. When surveyed, most oceanographers indicated that they thought water was very important. The exceptions were oceanographers who mused about wanting to “drain the seas,” in order to more readily study the ocean floor and newly discovered continents.

Eighty percent of nutritionists and dietitians who were given the same survey, despite having difficulty with words such as halcocline, tombolo, and morphodynamics, concluded that water was essential to good nutrition and health. The remaining 20% reported having contracts with sports drink and energy drink manufacturers, and stated having no problem with the oceanographic terminology.

As with most controversies, this one is unlikely to be solved soon. Though, if we were to follow the advice of sages of old and listen to what comes out of “the mouths of babes,” we would likely hear the familiar refrain, “yuk!”