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Physical Geography: The Water Cycle > Case studies > Flashcards

Case studies Flashcards

1
Q

Reduction of water usage in london (deindustrialisation) has lead to less groundwater being extracted
WHICH HAS LEAD TO LONDON EXPERIENCING??

A

Surface water flooding
Flooding of cellars and basements in houses
Leakages of water into the underground tunnels
Water supplies likely to become polluted

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2
Q

What is an example of deforestation

A

The Amazon

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3
Q

how can deforestation impact the water cycle

A

Deforestation can disrupt the water cycle as we see a reduction in transpiration and an increase in surface runoff therefore flooding occurs more frequently leading to changes in river flow and water volume

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4
Q

what percentage of the amazons trees does it need to continue its critical hydrological cycle

A

Amazon needs 80% of the trees standing to continue this critical hydrological cycle, it’s now at its tipping point with 81% left intact

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5
Q

what will happen to the amazon without the hydrological cycle

A

Without the hydrological cycle its predicted the amazon will turn into grasslands/deserts

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6
Q

finish the sentence:
Water cannot be released back into the atmosphere from groundwater as trees and plants do this one tree can lift…

A

100 gallons of water out for ground into air per day

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7
Q

why is the cycle of tree uplift essential to the amazon rainforest

A

is cycle provides essential moisture for agriculture and urban water reserves in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina

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8
Q

how does deforestation of the amazon cause drought?

A

less plants means less evapotranspiration which then needs to less rainfall therefore causing drought

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9
Q

how does deforestation rates affect interception rates of the amazon rainforest

A

Interception rates are affected as deforestation prevents multi-layered forests from catching rainfall which now Falls to the floor

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10
Q

does deforestation cause percolation and infiltration to increase or decrease

A

increase

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11
Q

what does increased percolation and infiltration cause in the amazon rainforest

A

Infiltration and percolation increase leading to the water table becoming closer to the soil surface, the rainforest would soak up rainfall brought up by tropical storms BUT without the forest cover infiltration rates are affected therefore increasing overland flow

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12
Q

what does increased overland flow in the Amazon cause

A

Overland flows increase rainfall which means the runoff rapidly flows into streams creating higher risks of flooding

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13
Q

where is an example of water abstraction taking place

A

The aral sea

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14
Q

what is water abstraction

A

Water abstraction is the act of taking water from sources such as Rivers canals and the sea

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15
Q

WHO and WHEN was water abstracted form the aral sea

hint: after WW2

A

Water from the Aral sea was abstracted in 1960s by soviets to irrigate surrounding desert region for agricultural purposes

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16
Q

what did water abstraction of the aral sea lead to a drop in

A

this reduced river inflows causing the sea to shrink by 50%

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17
Q

Finish the sentence:
After 1990 the rate of water loss has been slowly…..

A

decreasing

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18
Q

why has the water loss in the aral sea slowly been decreasing

A

there are negative feedback systems that could have slowed water loss such as increased salinity due to this rise in salinity evaporation rates have fallen which partially offsets the positive feedback of water loss

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19
Q

due to abstraction of the aral sea what is lower that causes wells to dry up

A

As a result of abstraction Wells can dry up due to a lower water table

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20
Q

the aral seas water table is lower, what can this cause

A

reduction of water in streams and Lakes as Rivers often get a lot of their water from through flowing groundwater sources.
Removal of groundwater sources via abstraction decreases the amount of water available for rivers and streams on the surface some Rivers may dry up.

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21
Q

where is the Ogallala aquifer

A

This aquifer underlies parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming in America

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22
Q

why is the Ogallala aquifer significant to the area

A

The regional economy depends on Ogallala’s groundwater to irrigate agriculture

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23
Q

how has agriculture caused the Ogallala aquifer to fall

A

irrigate agriculture this leads to water being extracted more than it’s been replenished

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24
Q

what does abstraction of the Ogallala aquifer do to the water table

A

Wells dry up as over abstraction lowers the water table so water wouldn’t float into the well

25
Q

how does abstraction of the Ogallala aquifer affect surface level water i.e rivers and streams

A

Rivers get their water from throughflow and groundwater flow
removal of water from groundwater reduces the amount available for rivers and streams on the surface

26
Q

what has abstraction of the Ogallala aquifer caused to the land

A

Land subsidence
Land subsidence occurs when water is part of the sub-surface support for the land above when water is taken out of a soil (abstraction) and rock it collapses, compacts and drops

27
Q

What dam has built on lake nasser, Egypt

A

Aswan Dam

28
Q

why was the aswan dam constructed

A

The dam was constructed to regulate the flow of the river which serves the whole of Egypt

29
Q

what does the Aswan dam prevent from happening

A

the damn prevents the release of all flood water as it only releases water when needed to maximise its utility on irrigated land to irrigate thousands of new hectares

30
Q

what is a benefit of the Aswan Dam construction for Egypt

A

this brought devastating floods to an end as Egypt claimed more than 100,000 acres of desert land for cultivation (growing plants) which made additional crops possible on 800,000 other acres

31
Q

what are the negatives of the Aswan Dams construction for Egypt

A
  • Soil waterlogging - water was unable to drain away
  • Build up of soil salinity - when solvable sought to retained in the Earth this reduces growth preventing plant reproduction ions are toxic to plants so as concentration Rises the plants die cause in a rising the water table
  • the waters in Lake NASA have threatened the health of people using or residing near the Nile. downstream the damn promotes the presence of parasitic diseases
  • nearby aquifers are flooded by increased amounts of water due to year-on rather than seasonal irrigation
32
Q

what does Australia look like during a normal year compared to an el nino year or la nina year

A

Warm water evaporation

Rain ( due to LP (low pressure))

33
Q

what does australia look like during an el nino year

A

Less rain (due to HP (high pressure))
Dry
Impact = droughts fires

34
Q

what does australia look like during a la nina year

A

LP = lots of flooding due to increased rain

35
Q

what does South America look like during a normal year compared to an el nino or la nina year

A

Cold water
No rain (HP)
Upwelling
Nutrients from deep ocean attracting fish and boosting fishing industry

36
Q

what does S. America look like during an el nino year

A

Too much warm water
Lots of rain (LP)
Impacts = flooding
Decline in fishing industry as no upwelling for fish to migrate for nutrients

37
Q

what does S. America look like during a la nina year

A

HP = little rain → drought
Lots of upwelling fishing industry will do well

38
Q

impact of drought on forests such as the Amazon have led to

A

thinning forests
lower PPT

39
Q

what is the affect of thinning forests in the amazon

A

Reduced soil water storage
Reduced evapotranspiration
Changing weather patterns
lower ppt

40
Q

TRUE or FALSE: is it thought the amazon forest is near the tipping point

A

FALSE
it is thought it is beyond the tipping point

41
Q

TRUE or FALSE: climate change, el nino and deforestation will lead to drought

A

TRUE
The combined risk of climate change, el nino and deforestation will lead to drought occurring more frequently

42
Q

TRUE or FALSE: the uk is prepared for flooding in the future

A

false
they not prepared at ALL

43
Q

how come the uk is poorly prepared for the future of climate change impacts

A

UK is poorly prepared for future of climate change impacts

Disrupt trade and military intervention overseas

Predicted heat waves of 48 degrees in london, high 30s across the nation
Critical facilities at risk e.g hospitals, care homes
→ not designed to prevent overheating, built in flood prone areas

New disease and pests invade UK as climate rises

Benefits of CC: increased exports of goods and services such as flood defences, increased tourism, longer growing season ( only if impact on the water supply and soil fertility is overcome)

44
Q

benefits of climate change creating flooding

A

Benefits of CC: increased exports of goods and services such as flood defences, increased tourism, longer growing season ( only if impact on the water supply and soil fertility is overcome)

45
Q

what are the 2 main types of drought that occur within Australia

A

The 2 main types of drought based on rainfall criteria
Serious deficiency: Rainfall totals within 10% of values record for at least 3 months
Severe deficiency: Rainfall totals within lowest 5% of values on record for at least 3 months

46
Q

TRUE or FALSE: drought is not common in Australia

A

FALSE
Drought is a recurrent feature within Australia

47
Q

what was the big dry in australia

A

a severe period of dry weather that affected the country’s water supply, agriculture, and ecosystems

48
Q

how did the big dry impact australia

A

Covered a huge area in australia, for several years

It is thought to have been associated with longer-term climate change leading to a trend of a warmer, drier climate in southeastern Australia

It was assessed as a 1 in 1000 year event as it spread nationwide

It affected more than half the farmland, especially in the Murray-Darling Basin (agricultural heartland) → provides 50% of Australia’s food supply
→ impacts: food supply was severely affected as farmers rely on water to irrigate crops

Australia has sophisticated water supply systems and schemes however Adelaide became especially vulnerable as it drew 40% of igs water supply form the river Murray which has been extremely over extracted

Growing population which has one of the highest water consumption in the world due to extraction for agricultural, industrial and urban usage

49
Q

statistics of the big dry

A

1 in 1000 year drought
Murray-Darling river system had its lowest ever October flow (month prior to drought)
Sydney’s largest reservoirs is now 40% full
Lowest wheat crop for 12 years, 62% decrease from last year
rainfall in east Australia is predicted to fall by 40% by 2070 as well as a 7 degree rise in temperature which increases risk of bushfire

50
Q

examples of industrial water pollution

A

Industrial waste is dumped into rivers - Ganges
Heavy metals and chemical waste are particularly toxic can come from mines - NE China
Groundwater can be irreversibly damaged by high levels of toxicity, many wells with high concentrations of arsenic – Bangladesh

51
Q

what regional water insecurity issues does Asia and the pacific experience

A

critical health problems –> 500,000 diarrhoea related infant deaths each year in Asia due to lack of access to safe drinking water

water pollution –> level of bacterial waste from human sources is 10x greater than recommended levels

overuse
- agriculture uses 90% of freshwater withdrawals in South Asia
-industrial pollution affects 60% of groundwater supplies across the Indo-Gangetic Basin (undrinkable for 750 million/ cant use groundwater for irrigation)
- aquifer depletion in Asia led to a fall in water availibility from 10,000 m^3 per capita (1950s) to less 3700 m^3 in 2010
-Withdrawals in W Asia exceed natural replacement
- Billion gallons of raw sewage is dumped into the Ganges each day
- 42% of chinas sewage and 45% of its industrial waste is dumped into the Yangtze river each year

52
Q

what regional water insecurity issues does Europe/Central Asia experience

A
  • a lack of access to clean drinking water in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
  • Increasing water consumption with half of european cities over-exploiting their groundwater reserves
  • declining water quality in countries w/ groundwater pollution
    e.g Aral sea, Mediterranean, Scandinavian lakes
53
Q

what regional water insecurity issues does North America experience

A
  • aquifer depletion is increasing due to both population and urban growth + expansion of irrigation and industry (e.g cotton farming in Texas)
  • changes in rainfall in Cali due to EL nino + climate change, led to drought, declining groundwater supplies and falling reservoirs
    -water pollution from agricultural runoff has contaminated many ground and surface waters
54
Q

what regional water insecurity issues does Africa experience

A
  • Its predicted 25 African countries will face either water stress or scarcity by 2025
  • 19 of the 25 countries with the lowest access to clean water are in Africa - highest child mortality rates
    -lack of groundwater protection from agricultural uses
  • lack of risk preparedness and irrigation - flooding, droughts and storms displace people and cause chronic health issues
55
Q

what regional water insecurity issues does Latin America and the Caribbean experience

A
  • Groundwater contamination and depletion from the increasing release of hazardous wastes from mining, agriculture and industry
  • poor sanitation - only 2% of the sewage in latin america is treated
  • Economic scarcity, with conflict over access to and the use of water
56
Q

does Canada’s water cost MORE or LESS than Germanys

A

Canada’s public sector supply’s more water yet their charges are 80% less than Germany

57
Q

does the UK have HIGHER or LOWER water bills than Ireland

A

Ireland only began Charging for water in 2012, with there water bills being 75% less than the UK in 2016

58
Q
A

Physical Geography: The Water Cycle (4 decks)

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