Freshwater Resources - C Flashcards
Renewable water
continuously recharged (less than a year)
significant withdrawals do not typically cause depletion within the reservoir
soil, rivers, biosphere
non-renewable water
reservoirs are not recharged on human scales or very very slow
groundwater
temporal availability
major changes in seasonal rainfall patterns
fall and spring the most in US
Spatial availability
rainfall patterns differ globally
local proximity matters,
unevenly distributed in Canada low in most of it, high near Rockies and great lakes GTA
green water
water held in biological life
evapotranspiration
blue water
held in abiotic reservoirs
runoff
available water
how much water is available for potential usage
accesible water
based on 3 things
how much we can actually access for use
- spatial and temporal location
- economic access
- culturally and politically acceptable
Renewable sources equation
RFWS = Precipitation over land = ET - runoff
human appropriation of accessible precipitation is 30%
water for survival, economic purposes, environment
examples
survival: drinking, cooking, hygiene
lack of access to safe water even in technologically advanced countries
economic: agri, industry
environment: ecosystem support
groundwater overuse kills trees be because their roots don’t reach
Allocation
How much water is allowed to be withdrawn by a party along the river
often based on old measurements that don’t account for climate change
Saltwater intrusion
when river flow is reduced at fresh and salt water interface
saltwater wedges in
fatal for freshwater species and peat and can infiltrate groundwater
water availability
depends on: (4)
residence time
temporal availability
spatial availability
proximity to human
