appropriation of fresh water

Question 1

what does water availability depend on?

Answer 1

• residence time in reservoir
• temporal availability (rainy season vs. dry season)
• spatial availability (global rainfall patterns, frequency of reservoirs)
• proximity to human need

Question 2

what makes water renewable?

Answer 2

• water in reservoir is continuously recharged (less than a year)
• significant withdrawals do not typically cause depletion within the reservoir

Question 3

difference between available water and accessible water?

Answer 3

available water is how much is available for potential usage and accessible water is how much water we can actually access for use based on spatial and temporal location, economic access and culturally and politically acceptable access

Question 4

what is the equation for terrestrial renewable fresh water supply?

Answer 4

RFWSland= precipitation over land = evapotranspiration from land + runoff to sea