Chapter 17: Water Use and Management Flashcards
What fraction of the world’s population live without access to adequate fresh water supplies?
1/3
How many people live without access to safe drinking water according to the United Nations?
1 billion
In how many years is the number of people living without fresh water supposed to double?
25 years
Florida Water Wars
Term used to describe the increasing concern of southern Florida’s need of more fresh water and the desire to
take it from northern Florida.
What is the driving force of the hydrologic cycle?
Solar energy
Since solar energy is greatest around the tropics, the rate of what is also great?
The rate of evaporation/transpiration as well as the rate of
precipitation
How many districts of water management are in Florida?
10 districts
What district is Union county in?
Suwannee River District
How many primary factors control global deficits and surpluses are there?
3
What are the primary factors control global deficits and surpluses?
- Atmospheric circulation creates regions of
persistent high pressure and low rainfall.
These same air patterns produce frequent
rainfall near the equator. - Proximity to water sources influences
precipitation. - Topography such as mountains influence
cloud formation. Windward side is usually wet,
leeward side is dry (rain shadow).
*Human activity can impact the cycle.
Deforestation reduces transpiration.
Residence Time
Length of time water stays in a compartment.
How many years does the average water molecule stay in the ocean?
About 3,000 years
What percent of Earth’s liquid water do oceans hold?
97%
Ocean’s hold what percent of Earth’s living biomass?
90%
What do oceans moderate?
Earth’s global temperatures
“Global currents transfer ___ and ____ waters throughout the oceans.”
Cold; Warm
What is an example of the transfer of cold and warm waters?
Florida’s Gulf Coast
What percent of water on Earth is fresh?
2.4%
What percent of that fresh water is frozen?
90%
Earth’s largest glaciers are found where?
In Antarctica and Greenland
Infiltration
When water trickles down through earth’s sediments
Recharge Zones
Are areas where infiltration of water into aquifers occurs.
Some aquifers hold large volumes of water.
How are rivers measured?
Based on water discharge
Water Discharge
The amount of water passing a given point in a given time
What is the largest river in the world?
Amazon
What is the largest river in the U.S?
Mississippi
What is the largest river in Africa?
Congo
What is the largest river in China?
Yangtze
Lakes
Inland depressions holding standing water.
How do wetlands help the hydrologic cycle?
They hold back surface water and allow greater time for infiltration and groundwater recharge.
Renewable Water Supplies
Made of surface runoff and infiltration into aquifers.
Water Scarcity
Occurs when water demand exceeds availability or water is poor quality.
Water Stress
Occurs when renewable water supply is inadequate for an ecosystem increasing competition. Happens more in poor
countries.
Droughts are ______
Cyclical; Moves in a cycle
Withdrawal
Total amount of water taken from any source for any purpose.
Consumption
Fraction of withdrawn water that is lost and no longer available.
Degraded Water
Water that has been polluted or heated so that it is unsuitable for use.
Water use is growing ____ as fast as the population.
Twice
How many major water consumers are there?
3
What are the major water consumers?
Agriculture
Domestic
Industrial
What major water consumer is taking up the most water?
Agriculture; 85%
What is most of the water used for in agriculture?
Irrigation
What is an example of poorly used water in agriculture?
Aral Sea over 30 year period (page 380)
What are the three leading domestic uses of water?
Toilet flushing followed by bathwater and laundry/dishes are the leading domestic uses.
What percent of water usage do each of the water uses in domestic use?
Toilet flushing; 38% Bathing; 31% Laundry and Dishes; 20% Drinking and cooking; 6% Brushing Teeth; 5%
How many people in the world lack access to safe drinking water?
1 billion
What areas have the most problems with getting fresh water?
Africa and the Middle East
What are the two ways water gets into the atmosphere?
Evaporation and transpiration
How many people die annually because of water-related diseases?
5 million
What fraction of the world has to get water outside their house?
2/3
What is Union county’s major aquifer?
Floridan
Midwest Aquifer(Texas to North Dakota)
Ogalalla
What three problems result from groundwater depletion?
Subsidence, sinkholes, and saltwater intrusion
Subsidence
Land drops in elevation
Sinkholes
Top of an underground cavern collapses
Saltwater Intrusion
Lateral recharge leads to saltwater contamination of coastal aquifers
What country is an example of a country that has to have water diverted to support life?
China
What state is getting water diverted to it in the U.S?
California
What river in the Western U.S. is shrinking?
Klamath
What sea did the Colorado River used to reach?
Sea of Cortez
What are 4 major problems with dams?
- breaking dams cause sudden flooding
- they can displace people and disrupt ecosystems
- they kill fish(migratory paths for spawning blocked)
- sedimentation collected from river can fill channel
What are the two dams in the U.S. along the Colorado River?
- Hoover Dam
2. Glen Canyon Dam
What lake does the Hoover Dam make?
Lake Mead
What lake does the Glen Canyon Dam make?
Lake Powell
Three Gorges Dam
On the Yangtze River in China, world’s largest hydroelectric dam. Completed in 2006.
Aswan High Dam
On the Nile River in Egypt, forms Lake Nasser. It is hydroelectric. Completed in 1970.
What are the 3 famous water diversion projects?
Aral Sea, California Water Transfer Project, China’s Water Transfer Project
Aral Sea
In the former Soviet Union, since the 1960’s the volume of the sea has been rapidly declining due to diversion for irrigation accompanied by drought
California Water Transfer Project
Uses pumps, aqueducts and dams to move large quantities of water from Northern to Southern California.
China’s Water Transfer Project
Construction continues today to transfer water to Beijing from the southern Yangtze river basin.
Irrigation practices are improved by what two practices?
1: Drip irrigation rather than flood irrigation
2: Center Pivot
Drip Irrigation
Delivers smaller quantities of water reducing evaporation; improves efficiency by 95%. More costly to set up but produces higher crop yields.
Center Pivot
Uses low pressure sprinklers and increases efficiency by 80%.
What are 7 other ideas to reduce the amount of water wasted by irrigation?
1: Irrigate crops with treated wastewater.
2: Irrigate at night to reduce evaporation.
3: Don’t grow crops in dry climates that require lots
of water!
4: Increase government subsidies for conservation
irrigation practices.
5: Use soil moisture monitors, only irrigate when
necessary.
6: Harvest rainwater for small fields (developing
countries)
7: Increase use of polycultures over monocultures.
What are 6 practices to that can be used by industrial and domestic plants?
1: Fix leaks in pipes and water mains
2: Increase the price of water
3: Require the use of water meters
4: Recycle water used in industrial processes
5: Low-flow showerheads
6: Low-volume toilets
Where is most of the water in America used for?
Toilet flushing; 38% Bathing; 31% Laundry and Dishes; 20% Drinking and Cooking; 6% Brushing Teeth, etc..; 5%
How many people, according to the United Nations do not have adequate sanitation?
2.6 billion
