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Water Security > Human Impacts on Water Availability > Flashcards

Human Impacts on Water Availability Flashcards

1
Q

How and where does salt water incursion occur?

A

in coastal areas

due to over abstraction of groundwater

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2
Q

Over abstracting from aquifers can lead to what?

A

ground subsistence

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3
Q

untreated sewage can lead to what?

A

spread of disease e.g cholera

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4
Q

What is agriculture causing to happen to water supplies and ecosystems?

A

use of fertilisers / pesticides causing eutrophication

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5
Q

Define over abstraction

A

extraction and consumption of surface and groundwater resources beyond their sustainable level

abstraction > groundwater recharge

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6
Q

What happens during over abstraction

A

groundwater resources gradually become depleted

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7
Q

What problems in agriculture are causing water inefficiencies?

A
  • evaporation
  • seepage
  • salinisation
  • fertilisation
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8
Q

X2 technologies which could be introduced to decrease water inefficiency and contamination in agriculture;

A
  • drip irrigation systems

- nitrate metres for soil to avoid over-fertilising

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9
Q

What global phenomenon means there is an increase in demand for water in industry?

A

industrialisation of BRICs

increasing proportion of middle class seeking to buy consumer goods / using more energy

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10
Q

What is happening to global domestic demand for water?

A

doubling every 20years

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11
Q

X3 reasons why global domestic demand for water is doubling every 20years

A
  • increasing population
  • increasing proportion of population can afford access to electricity
  • globalisation meaning more people can access / afford consumer goods - so more demand - more water needed
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12
Q

What X3 water supply options are available;

A

a) surface water (rivers / lakes / reservoirs)
b) aquifers
c) desalination

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13
Q

How many dams globally

A

50,000

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14
Q

Dams collect what fraction of global fresh water supply

A

1/4

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15
Q

What X3 advantages to dams have?

A

+ short-term economic gains
+ opportunity for HEP
+ flood control

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16
Q

X2 disadvantages of dams

A
  • environmental consequences

- social and economic cost of displacement

17
Q

What fraction of Europe’s drinking water comes from aquifers?

A

3/4

18
Q

Most of India’s water for irrigation comes from what?

A

aquifers

19
Q

What X4 risks are there with over abstraction?

A
  • ground subsistence
  • falling water tables
  • exhaustion of supplies
  • salt-water incursion
20
Q

Where is physical water scarcity concentrated?

A

north of the equator

e.g North Africa and southern Asia

21
Q

Where is there little or no water scarcity?

A

Northern Hemisphere

22
Q

What does most of South America suffer in terms of scarcity of water?

A

economic scarcity

23
Q

California is home to how many of the USA’s largest cities?

A

X3

24
Q

What did California do to secure water supplies?

A

Drain wetlands

which depleted fish stock and altered habitats

25
Q

What is California suffering in the Salton Sea?

A

increasing salinity

26
Q

What is causing wells to dry out in Yemen?

A

excessive water consumption and inefficient usage

27
Q

At what rate is Yemen’s capital city using water than can be replenished?

A

In Sana’a

groundwater abstracted X10 faster than groundwater recharge

28
Q

Why will Yemen encounter even more water insecurity?

A
  • population rapidly increasing

- 40% of water is used on growing khat

29
Q

What is Yemen now having to do due to water insecurity?

Why is this a problem?

A

import food

50% of population live on under $2 a day

30
Q

Why is water used on khat instead of on food crops?

A

khat yields earnings x20 of potatoes

31
Q

What is a solution for many in Yemen?

A

migrate closer to Red Sea where there is the potential for desalination

32
Q

What are the shores along Mexico suffering from?

A

eutrophication

33
Q

What is Mexico City’s landscape suffering from? What has this impacted?

A

extreme ground subsidence

implications for water pipelines / foundations / metro

34
Q

In Mexico there is water imbalance - what % of urban water is distributed to what % of households?

A

60% of all urban water distributed to 3% of households

35
Q

Why is ground subsidence occurring in Mexico City?

A

65% more water taken from mexico city aquifer than replaced by natural recharge

36
Q

Define : hydropolitics

A

disputes about water issues

37
Q

Define : water diplomacy

A

negotiate new treaties to do with water

38
Q

Define : geopolitics

A

political decisions, pacts and agreements drawn up to manage an issue

Water Security (18 decks)

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