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AQA A Level Geography - HUMAN > ✅ 3.2.5.3 RESOURCE SECURITY - Water Security > Flashcards

✅ 3.2.5.3 RESOURCE SECURITY - Water Security Flashcards

1
Q

Agricultural uses of water

A

Farming - Farms use water to irrigate crops and raise livestock.

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2
Q

Industrial uses of water

A

Steam generation, washing, cooling

Often creates wastewater, has to be recycled

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3
Q

What % of water withdrawals are for domestic use

A

11%
Higher in HICs w/ high rainfall like UK
Low in most other countries, especially LICs

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4
Q

What is India’s agricultural water use

A

Largest in the world at 700 billion m^3 / year
Growing rapidly, doubling from 1975 to 2010

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5
Q

What % of freshwater withdrawals are for agriculture globally, in HICs and LICs

A

70% globally
90% for LICs
41% HICs

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6
Q

Which countries all irrigate over half of their agricultural land

A

Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Korea
(warmer poorer countries who therefore must rely on agriculture, so need to abstract more water for irrigation)

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7
Q

What % of total water withdrawals are for industrial purposes?

A

19%

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8
Q

What % of total water withdrawals are for industrial purposes in LICs?

A

2% (is much greater usually in HICs)

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9
Q

What is the US’s industrial water use

A

300 billion m^3 / year
Largest in the world
China 2nd largest at 140

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10
Q

Which country has the highest per capita water demand

A

USA - 6.8 tons / day

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11
Q

How many river basins in the world are transboundary

A

276

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12
Q

What is an artesian aquifer?

A

an aquifer between impermeable rock
therefore water doesn’t escape
is recharged where it makes contact with the surface

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13
Q

Water stress

A

When demand for water exceeds supply, or when water is not of high enough quality to use, places experience water stress.
Under 1,700 m^3 pp annually

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14
Q

What level of water per person is water scarcity
What countries have water scarcity

A

Under 1,000 m^3 pp annually
South Africa, Iraq

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15
Q

What level of water pp is absolute water scarcity
What regions have absolute water scarcity

A

Under 500 m^3 pp annually
North Africa

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16
Q

What level of water pp is Physical water scarcity
What regions have physical water scarcity

A

Less than 500mm of rainfall a year
Middle East, N Africa

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17
Q

What is economic water scarcity

A

When a pop. does not have the monetary means to access enough water
South America, South Africa

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18
Q

What does the UN define water security as?

A

The capacity of a nation to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water

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19
Q

Physical factors which affect water supply

A

Climate
Geology
Drainage

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20
Q

How does geology in Thames Basin affect water supply

A

Chalk in the Thames Basin acts as an aquifer, provides base flow

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21
Q

How does climate affect water supply in Thames Basin

A

690mm / year (UK average is 900mm)
Thames basin classed as suffering severe water stress.
During winter groundwater stores are replenished
Not much water available for natural environment

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22
Q

How does drainage in Thames Basin affect water supply

A

Thames Basin supplies 80% of London
Majority of this is from ground water from acquifers

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23
Q

Impact of unclean water on children

A

340,000 children under 5 die every year from unsafe water use

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24
Q

How many use a drinking water source contaminated by faeces

A

2 billion

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25
How many lack access to basic drinking-water services
785 million 10% of the population
26
How does water contribute to public health
SDG 6 aims for global accessible clean water as it is essential Access to clean water means cleaner facilties, less spread of diseases like Cholera Safety for women and children who sometimes have to travel far to collect water in some poorer places Clean water means safter crops, clean waterin irrigation used Lack of accessible clean supply means using unclean surface water supplies
27
Strategies to increase water supply
Desalination River Catchment Scheme, e.g Dams Transfer scheme Boreholes, Groundwater
28
Sources of water
Surface water underground water seawater
29
What is a borehole
Drilling down nto ground to a borehole, to make a well, to access groundwater supplies
30
Pros of boreholes
Groundwater is available year round
31
Cons of boreholes
Can deplete groundwater stores faster than they recover Can cause subsistence Water has to be cleaned Salt water intrusion intogroundwater as aquifers recharge Rivers dry up
32
What does desalination involve
Obtaining potable water from seawater Via reverse osmosis (through a partially permeable membrane) Distillation (extracts water vapour, condenses it)
33
What are cons of desalination
Expensive- plants cost up to $2.9 billion Can damage fisheries as ocean water intake pipes suck in and kill marine life
34
What are pros of desalination
Can provide supply to arid, hot countries Effective
35
Which countries use desalination most
Saudi Arabia (70% of supply from desalination) UAE USA Israel | Often drought hit wealthy countries
36
Example of desalination in the UK
Thames Water's desalination plant in East London Supplies to 400,000 households From 180 million litres of Thames River water per day
37
What does storage by reservoir involve?
Dams built to trap and store surplus winter rainfall or regulate river flow E.g High Aswan Dam Usually built by flooding a valley and building wall
38
Pros of reservoirs
Flood control, prevents flood downstream Stored water supply Can be used for HEP like High Aswan Dam or more like fishing But is expensive
39
Environmental impacts of reservoirs
-Sedimentation/siltation- deposited in reservoir, reduces capacity and increases erosion rates (e.g High Aswan Dam to Mediterranean) -Creates higher wind speed and humidity downstream -Flooding behind the dam removes habitat and interrupts fish migration
40
Features of the Kiedler Water Reservoir
UK Cost £185 mllion to built River Tees, Tyne 1.5 million trees cut down to make attracts 300,000 tourists a year
41
What is a water transfer scheme
Transporting water via pipelines from a place of water surpluys to water deficit Can be used for agriculture, e.g water for irrigation used in Pakistan from Indus Basin
42
Pros of water transfer scheme
Localised drought can be remeidied quickly Habitats protected Addresses rain disparity
43
Cons of water transfer scheme
Water expenisve to pump Requires development of reservoirs to store incoming water
44
Water transfer scheme in UK
From North-Wales - 400mm rainfall a year To East Anglia - 55mm Popualtion is much higher in East Anglia
45
Water transfer scheme in China
Largest transfer scheme between river basins South to North (drier) From Yangtze River Basin to north, Beijing, which is experincing water shortage
46
How much of Beijing does the China water transfer scheme supply
2/3 of Beijing's tap water
47
How much water does the China water transfer scheme supply? Travels how many km?
Up to 25 billion tonnes of water/ year 1,400 km
48
Increasing water supply: what is Singapore's 4 tap strategy
To increase supply, 4 supplies of water established 1. Water from Malaysia (some dependency) 2. NEWater scheme (recycled water) 3. Water desalination 4. Local catchments (like storm runoff) & reservoirs
49
Why does Singapore need its 4 tap strategy
Densely populated, growing population Limited land to collect water from, despite its high rainfall (2400mm/ year) due to lack of big rivers and lakes Vulnerable to droughts (which also affects neigbours)
50
How densley populated is Singapore
5 million in just 700km^2
51
Singapore annual rainfall
2400mm
52
How available is water in Singapore
ranked 170 of 193 for natural water availability by the UN
53
Managing water consumption: domestic use
Installing domestic water meters - reduce water bill by an average of 10 to 15 % , but only 43% of houses have them despite them being obligatory in UK Installing low-flush toilets- toilets use 30% of water in a home Collecting rainwater, showers not baths - behaviour
54
Managing water consumption: industrial or commercial use
Buildings now designed to use rainwater in toilets
55
Managing water consumption: agricultural use
Micro-irrigation; for example micro-sprayers which spray fine mist- less waste Using mulch (compost around plant) to retain water Watering in early morning to reduce evaporation losses
56
The Aswan High Dam features
110 m high, 4 km long Nile, Southern Egypt Reservoir behind it is Lake Nasser which stores 132 km³ of water
57
Why was The Aswan High Dam built?
HEP Flood regulation (yearly floods would occur which could wipe out crops) To provide storage of water for agriculture (irrigation)
58
What shows that the Aswan High Dam is ineffective
The creation of the Grand Ethiopian Dam
59
Socio-Economic impacts of water supply scheme: High Aswan Dam
Lake Nasser sometimes floods - displaces people Lake Nasser creates more land for farming due to supply for irrigation Lake Nasser has created a fishing industry HEP supply to Egypt Removes fertile sediment for downstream farmers, so they have to buy fertiliser which is expensive and can cause environmental damage 1 million Africans caught Malaria due to their proximity to the reservoir due to its salty, low-energy water
60
How many were displaced when Lake Nasser flooded Nubia?
100,000
61
How many fish are caught each year from Lake Nasser in the fishing industry?
25,000 tonnes per year
62
What is The Aswan High Dam's HEP capacity per year? How much of Egypt's supply is from it?
10 billion KWh per year Was ½ but now only 10%
63
Environmental impacts of water supply scheme: High Aswan Dam
-Sediment trapped by the dam has increased erosion rates downstream in the Mediterranean -Sediment trapped in the dam is slowly reducing water storage space, occupying 32 km³ (although will take 900 years to fill completely) -Fertile soil trapped from travelling downstream has reduced sardine populations by half, off the Egyptian coast -Continuous irrigation of farmland means the water is not annually flushed out, so the soils get saltier and therefore less fertile over time -Increased water clarity, meaning more sunlight can penetrate the water, and use of fertilisers, has caused the soil quality to fall due to the increased presence of algae, meaning the water must be treated more, which is expensive
64
What does sustainable water management aim to achieve?
A greater long term balance between supply and demand while minimising environmental impacts
65
What is virtual water trade
The water used in the production process of a product is called the virtual water. Virtual water trade is the idea that when commodities are exchanged, so is virtual water. Idea developed to understand how water-scarce countries could provide products without depleting their water resources.
66
What regions are net-importers in the virtual water trade?
The Middle East More water enters the Middle East as "virtual water" than physically enters such as through the Nile, thereby relieving its water sources
67
How much water is used to produce 1 tonne of beef?
15,400 m³
68
How much water is used to produce 1 tonne of wheat?
1,300 m³
69
What are weaknesses of the virtual water trade concept?
It assumes the water used is wasted It doesn't account for water that is recycled/ reused
70
What is Neo-Malthusianism
The advocacy of human planning to ensure resources and environmental integrity are available for current and future human populations,
71
How can land use increase sustainable management of water?
In urban areas, more runoff into short-term store river But with more vegetated and permeable land, runoff is reduced and groundwater stores are replenished, a much longer store of water
72
How can recycling water increase sustainable management of water?
Through extensive sewage treatment, can be recycled 90% of water used in London is recycled In less developed countries, like in North Africa, 82% is not recycled- room for improvement Greywater can be recycled for purposes other than drinking such as irrigation
73
What is greywater
Water that has been used in washing or cleaning, but has not come into contact with faecal matter (blackwater)
74
How can leakage control increase sustainable management of water?
Repairs of pipes will reduce water leaks 3 billion litres of water is lost per day in the UK due to leaky pipes
75
How can groundwater management increase sustainable management of water?
Aquifers can be recharged methods such as rainwater harvesting into recharge wells, which is used widely in Australia, as these stores can be used in times of water stress
76
keep going!
77
Where is the Aral Sea
The border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
78
What problems have occurred in the Aral Sea?
By the 2000s it was 10% of its 1960s size and water very saline, 3 grams of salt / litre Partly due to highly intensive water usage in cotton production and abstraction
79
How were the issues in the Aral Sea resolved
2005 Kok-Aral Dam built Increased water levels by 12 metres, now only a further 6 metres away from being used again Salinity levels normal again However, long term recovery still on going
80
Where does the Colorado River run?
From SW USA to Gulf of California 2,300 km
81
What problems does the Colorado River face?
In a 16 year drought Demand is rising - Colorado's population will nearly double by 2050, plus it flows through dry areas like Las Vegas
82
How were the issues in the Colorado River dealt with?
Treaties in 1948 to allocate share of water But the River has since decreased in flow due to so many withdrawals/ shareholder demands
83
Where is Cochabamba?
City in Bolivia
84
What was the water conflict in Cochabamba?
1998 - IMF gave loan to Bolivia but they had to privatise water industry Aguas Del Tunari buys exclusive right to Cochabamba’s water system 2000 - Cochabamba protesters shut down the city for four days, going on strike as Aguas del Tunari's rate hikes have tripled their water bills, riots develop La Coordinadora holds an unofficial referendum in which an overwhelming majority - 96% of 50,000 voters -disapproves of water privatisation and Aguas del Tunari's water contract La Coordinadora signs an agreement with the Bolivian government that guarantees the withdrawal of Aguas del Tunari, grants control of Cochabamba's water to La Coordinadora, assures the release of detained protesters, and promises the repeal of water privatisation legislation

AQA A Level Geography - HUMAN (27 decks)

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