Water Flashcards
What are oceans
Large masses of water connected to one another
What are glaciers
Large masses of ice that rest on land or float i the sea
What are lakes
Water bodies surrounded by land. Receive water from snow, rain or rivers
What are rivers
Natural wide flows of freshwater that store water temporarily before water moves to another water body
What is soil moisture
Water that is stored in soil
What is groundwater
Water under the surface of the earth and below the water table
What is the hydrological cycle
Natural process that occurs that ensures the earth’s water is naturally replenished
What is evaporation
Sun’s heat changes water droplets into water vapour
What is transpiration
Plants give out water vapour through their leaves
What is condensation
Air rises and cools, causing water vapour to form water droplets, which combine to form clouds
What is precipitation
Water falls as rain, or snow if the air is cold enough
What is surface runoff
Water flows from the highlands and over the ground surface into streams and rivers
What is a water budget
Equation that describes the flow of water in and out of a catchment
Tells us the amount of water available in an area
Input > Output
Water surplus
Output > Input
Water deficit
What is net
Change in storage
Input (Precipitation) - Output (Surface runoff, Evaporation, Transpiration)
What is the most of the world’s water
Sea water, which is unfit for domestic, agriculture and industrial purposes
What are droughts
Occurs when an area receives very little rain over a period of time
Since there is insufficient water to replenish the water used for human activities or loss through evaporation and transpiration, water stores such as reservoirs and groundwater starts to dry up
What are floods
Typically caused by sustained heavy rainfall or snow melt
When a large amount of water enters a river, the water level rises and overflows the bank, leading to floods
Uses of water
Domestic
Agriculture
Industry
Recreation
What is domestic usage of water
Water uses at home
Consumption
Hygiene
Amenity use
What is agriculture usage of water
Accounts for the largest usage of water in the world
Water used for growing crops and rearing animals for human consumption
Different animals and plants require different amount of water
What is industrial usage of water
Cool equipment in factories and power plants as they generate a lot of heat when they operate
In the pharmaceutical field, water is commonly used in an ingredient in many formulations and a cleaning agent
What is recreation usage of water
Used in recreation activities such as sport fishing, canoeing and sailing
Levels of freshwater availability
[Total Available Water Resources / Year (m3)]
/Total Population
Levels of water availability
Distributed unevenly around the world
Water security
Water vulnerability
Water Stress
Water Scarcity
What is water security
Freshwater: >2500m3
Adequate and sustainable use of freshwater for human consumption and use
What is water vulnerability
Freshwater: 1701m3 to 2500m3
What is water stress
Freshwater: 1001m3 to 1700m3
What is water scarcity
<1000m3 of freshwater
Water withdrawn is so great that it is not longer adequate to meet water demands
Causes of water shortage
Water demand > water supply
Impacts of water shortage
Domestic
Economic
Political
What are the domestic impacts of water shortage
Water rationing
Increased difficulty in getting water
Why is increased difficulty in collecting water an impact of water shortage
Water is a scarce resource and people have to travel long distances to obtain it
Women in Asia and Africa may have to travel 6km to collect water and they can only bring back as much as they can carry
Water collected may be dirty and can cause water-borne diseases like cholera
Why is water rationing an impact of water shortage
Water rationing is when water is a=made available at a certain time of a day
Hence, people have to queue up to collect water for their daily use
What are the economic impacts of water shortage
Reduced agricultural yields
Increased cost of industrial production
Why is reduced agricultural yields an impact of water shortage
Agricultural accounts or 70% of global water use
If water supply decrease, crop yields decrease
Lesser food will be produced and income from selling the food will also decrease
Insufficient food may also cause people to die of starvation
Why is increased cost of industrial production an impact of water shortage
Cost of industrial production refers to the cost of producing and manufacturing a product
Water price increase, cost of industrial production increases
Power and beverage sector very dependent on water
Why is power sector very dependent on water
Cool parts of the generators
Why is beverage industry very dependent on water
Other than main ingredient, used for rising, cooling, heating and washing
What are some political impacts that will occur due to water shortage
Conflicts
Why can conflicts occur when there is a water shortage
Conflicts over water supply can happen when there is not enough water to go around
May occur when multiple parties are sharing the same water source
On a local scale, conflicts can occur between farmers and factories due to the use of water in rivers, lakes and underground
On a global scale, problems may arise due to various states or countries sharing the same water resource. One country’s use of water could reduce the amount for another.
