Water Flashcards

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1
Q

how much water do the worlds oceans store

A

96.5% of water

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2
Q

how much freshwater do glaciers and ice caps store

A

68.7% of freshwater

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3
Q

how much water is stored as groundwater

A

1.69% of the world’s water

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4
Q

how much freshwater is stored in lakes

A

0.26% of freshwater

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5
Q

what is the residency time of ice caps, glaciers, and permafrosts

A

1,000 to 10,000 years

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6
Q

what is the residency time of groundwater

A

2 weeks to 10,000 years

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7
Q

what is the residency time of oceans and seas

A

4,000 years

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8
Q

what is the residency time of biospheric water

A

1 week

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9
Q

what is the residency time of atmospheric water

A

1.5 weeks

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10
Q

what is the fossil aquifer called thats in Central USA

A

Ogalalla aquifer

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11
Q

where is the worlds largest drainage basin

A

Amazon river

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12
Q

how much freshwater comes from the Amazon

A

1/5 of all freshwater

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13
Q

which places experience monsoon seasons

A
  1. West Africa
  2. South Asia
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14
Q

How much water has Lake Nasser lost through evaporation

A
  1. 10-16 billion meters^3/year (20% of Nile water volume)
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15
Q

what were some impacts of the 2014-15 Brazil drought

A
  1. worst drought for 80 years
  2. water levels in some of the largest HEP schemes fell
  3. agriculture was in crisis
  4. urban taps in Rio and Sao Paulo ran dry
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16
Q

what caused the 2014-15 Brazil drought

A

a high pressure system blocked air from moving southward

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17
Q

what were the human factors in the 2014-15 Brazil drought

A
  1. water rationing for 4 million people
  2. power cuts caused by the halting of HEP
  3. increased groundwater abstraction (low aquifers) (only source of water for poor people) (shallow = easily contaminated)
  4. rising urban population (20% in 20 years)
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18
Q

how many boreholes were made in the 2014-15 Brazil drought

A

2.5 million illegal boreholes

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19
Q

how many people live in Sao Paulo

A

20 million people

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20
Q

by what % have groundwater rates increased by between the 1980s and early 2000s in Australia

A

100%

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21
Q

what are the consequences of the Great Artesian Basin drying up

A
  1. drying of mounds and springs in S.Australia and Queensland
  2. loss of paperbark swamps and wetlands
  3. more expensive to extract groundwater for irrigation and other commercial applications
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22
Q

why were there less wildfires in Australia pre-colonisation

A

the Indigenous populations carefully maanged the grasslands through lighting small flames to prevent flammable vegetation from growing back

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23
Q

what were the consequences of the Black Summer bushfires (2019-20)

A
  1. AUD$ 100 billion cost
  2. burnt 10 million hectares of land
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24
Q

how has the Amazon been impacted by droughts

A
  1. defoliation
  2. tall trees are killed first due to inadequate precipitation
  3. canopy structure is damaged
  4. reduction in rainfall and dry season extension
25
Q

how long does it take for forests to resume normal growth rates

A

4 years

26
Q

how did the 2014-15 Brazil drought affect the Pantanal wetland

A
  1. increased tree mortality
  2. reduction of habitats, cattle ranching, eco-tourism
  3. wildfires caused by cattle ranchers managing the land
27
Q

How many homes were flooded in Cumbria due to Storm Desmond (December 2015)

A

5,200 homes

28
Q

How many homes lost power when an electrical substation was flooded in Cumbria due to Storm Desmond (December 2015)

A

61,000

29
Q

how has changing land-use influenced flood outcomes of the Cumbria floods, caused Storm Desmond (December 2015)

A
  1. over grazing has meant that bare slopes replaced forests
  2. soils are bare and drier
  3. channels are straightened and dredged
  4. flashy hydrograph
  5. rainwater reaches flood plains quicker
  6. impermeable surfaces
30
Q

what soft-engineering solutions did the Environmental Agency put forward in response to the Cumbria floods

A
  1. reforestation of upland areas
  2. restoration of river channels to their natural states
  3. restoration of flood plains to their natural absorbant states
  4. refusal of planning permission to build or expand development near rivers
31
Q

how much money does the Pakistani government estimate it will need per year until 2050 for adaptation and to build climate resilient infrastructure

A

£6-12 billion/year

32
Q

How many people were displaced across Sri Lanka during the Colombo floods (16 May 2016)

A

over 250,000

33
Q

what augmented the Indian subcontinents 2016 monsoon season

A

heat waves pushed temperatures over 40C and created deeper low pressure

34
Q

how much rainfall was concentrated into one day in the 2016 Colombo floods

A

one months worth of rainfall (13 inches of rain)

35
Q

what will Greater Manchester look like if drastic measures aren’t taken before 2040

A
  1. drier summers (less water supply and soil subsidence)
  2. wetter winters (increased flooding risk)
  3. spread of invasive species
  4. health-related deaths
  5. increase in allergies (more pollen exposure and rising temperatures)
36
Q

what are the benefits of re-greening (farmer-managed natural regeneration(FMNR)) in the Sahel region

A
  1. natural regeneration of water-retaining shrubs and herbs
  2. low cost reforesting
  3. use of water harvesting techniques (Burkina Faso’s farmers trap rainfall through stone lines or digging improved planting pits)
37
Q

what are the chances of a mega-drought (30 years) in SW California

A

50%

38
Q

why were 11 years between 2000 and 2015 drought years for Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexica, Oklahoma and Texas

A
  1. increased evaporation rates
  2. fall in precipitation
39
Q

how much water does 12% of the worlds population consume

A

85% of water

40
Q

how many people lack clean drinking water

A

1.8 billion

41
Q

how many people rely on the Nile for water

A

300,000,000

42
Q

by how many kilometers has saltwater encroached from the Persian Gulf, Iraq, due to low flow rates

A

150 km

43
Q

What did the Entebbe Agreement do

A

shift control of the Nile away from Egypt and Sudan (who had a monopoly due to colonial agreements)

44
Q

where does 80% of Israel’s domestic water use come from

A
  1. large scale desalination plants
  2. Ashkelon, Hadera
45
Q

what is Singapore doing to ensure a sustainable water supply

A
  1. NEWater
  2. rainwater harvesting
  3. protecting and enhancing water storage systems
  4. diversified supplies (local catchment, recycled water, desalinated water)
  5. education
46
Q

how much water does Singapore’s 5 NEWater plants provide

A
  1. 40% of the nations current water means
  2. 55% in 2060 (expected)
47
Q

what is the North-South water transfer project

A
  1. a plan to transfer water from the north to the populated south
  2. $100 bn over 50 years
  3. made up of 3 1,300km canals
  4. 60% funded by national government
48
Q

how much water is to be transfered by the north-south transfer

A

4.4bnm^3/year

49
Q

since 1990 by how much has the average annual Colorado flow decreased

A

15%

50
Q

since what year has the Colorado basin been in a persistent drought

A

2000

51
Q

what were the problems with the Colorado compact (1922)

A
  1. lower population
  2. average rainfall was 10% higher
52
Q

what is Minute 319 (2012)

A

Mexico is given the right to store some of its Colorado river water in lake Mead
water providers in the Colorado basin will be able to purchase water conserved through improving Mexico’s canals and water infrastructure

53
Q

since the 2007 agreement (where the shortages of the Colorado river is divided up) how much has California reduced its water extraction

A

20% reduction

54
Q

what problems do the Mexican people face regarding the Colorado River basin

A

90% of water is used which leads to wetlands on the delta becoming mudflats

55
Q

which players are involved in the Colorado River basin

A
  1. farmers
  2. city residents
  3. Environmental Protection Organisations
  4. Indigenous Groups
  5. Mexican People
  6. US Government
  7. Local State Government
56
Q

What is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Water Convention (established in Helsinki 92-96)

A

aims to protect and ensure the quantity, quality, and sustainable use of trans-boundary water resources by helping with co-operation and resolving issues

57
Q

what is the EU Water Framework Directive

A
  1. sets targets to restore rivers, lakes, canals, and coastal waters to good conditions
  2. policy requiring basin-wide assessments of all risks to natural environments posed by new developments
57
Q

what are the Berlin rules 2004

A
  1. states that water is a human right. Therefore, everyone should have safe and secure water even during times of war
  2. nations aren’t permitted to take actions that may result in a shortage of life-sustaining water for civillians
  3. unless: invasion, contamination, ecological damage