Water and Material

Question 1

The water cycle: Fluxes

Answer 1

Evaporation
Transpiration
Condensation
Precipitation
Runoff
Infiltration
Sublimation

Question 2

The water cycle: Stocks

Answer 2

Oceans
Ice and Glaciers
Groundwater
Lakes and Rivers
Atmosphere
Soil Moisture
Biosphere

Question 3

Water footprint

Answer 3

The sum of green, blue and grey water used by a product, person, country, or other entity

Question 4

Green water footprint

Answer 4

The volume of rainwater stored in the soil and used by plants (through evapotranspiration) to grow crops or vegetation.

Question 5

Blue water footprint

Answer 5

The volume of surface and groundwater (rivers, lakes, and aquifers) used to produce a product or service.

Question 6

Grey water footprint

Answer 6

Volume of freshwater required to dilute point source pollution to acceptable standards.

Question 7

Trends in blue water footprint (domestic, industrial, agricultural)

Answer 7

World:
- Domestic = 8%
- Industrial = 22%
- Agricultural = 70%

High income countries
- Domestic: 11%
- Industrial: 59%
- Agricultural: 30%

Low-income countries
- Domestic: 8%
- Industrial: 10%
- Agricultural: 82%

Question 8

Water stress

Answer 8

When the demand for water exceeds the available supply in a region.

Question 9

Categories of water stress

Answer 9

Low: <10%
Low to medium: 10-20%
Medium to high: 20-40%
High: 40-80%
Extremely high: >80%

Question 10

Inter-basin transfer

Answer 10

Method of overcoming water stress by physically transferring water from one river basin to another river basin:

Question 11

Virtual Water

Answer 11

All the water that goes into growing, manufacturing, and transporting a product.

Allows water-scarce regions to meet their needs without stressing local water resources.

Question 12

Water scarcity

Answer 12

When the demand for water exceeds the available supply over a specific period

Question 13

Categories of materials

Answer 13

Non-metallic: 44%
Metal Ores: 10%
Fossil Fuels: 19%
Biomass: 27%

Question 14

Materials Input Per Service (MIPS)

Answer 14

A measure of the total amount of material input required to produce a product over its entire life cycle, divided by the utility it provides

MIPS=total material input (kg)/service provided (units)

Question 15

Material footprint concept

Answer 15

The sum of direct and indirect material uses and total final consumption of a person or country

Question 16

Relative decoupling

Answer 16

Reduction in material use per unit of economic activity

Question 17

Absolute decoupling

Answer 17

Reduction in total material used in the economy