Water Cycle Management Flashcards
What is forestry?
Protection and restoration of forests
What are 3 pros of forestry?
Trees have deeper roots which then allows for more soil water volume to be transported for transpiration
Increased transpiration rates and increased interception results in more evapotranspiration than other plants
Trees have higher leaf index area then over vegetation making more effective at interception
what is the aim of forestry?
to prevent logging, ranching and mineral exploitation
What is a con of forestry?
1) Large-scale tree restoration can locally increase evaporation annually by nearly 10 litres on average for every m2 of restored forest.
Locally, in the tropics particularly, this effect can be much larger, with almost 250 litres for every m2
not all of this water returns to the land surface - around 70% of the extra water in the atmosphere returns to the land, while the remaining 30% is shed over the oceans through rain.
On a global scale, this means that tree restoration results in a net decrease in water availability.
Example of Forestry
Amazon Regional Protected Area (ARPA)
2 Impacts of Amazon Regional Protected Area (ARPA)
Offsetting 1.4 billion tonnes C/yr
75% decrease in deforestation rates between 2000-2012
What is Water allocations?
In areas of water scarcity, governments allocate certain amounts of water to particular groups.
2 Pros to water allocation
Minimises water losses
Encourages better water harvesting (storing) to provide extra water resources for the future.
2 cons of Water allocation
Demand can vary between different groups due to rapid economic and population growth which could lead to water shortages in certain areas and eventually prolonged drought
Water levels in areas of water scarcity are continuing to decrease due to climate change so supply is often not meeting demand.
An example of Water allocation
The Colorado basin, southwest USA
- 90% of the water is used for irrigation, the rest supplies municipal authorities
- Water supplies from the Colorado river have been divided between 7 states in the drainage basin since 1992 by the Colorado River Compact (CRC).
What is Drainage Basin Planning?
Examining entire river basins and managing their uses in a way to try and benefit all users.
2 pros of drainage basin planning
Accommodates the often conflicting demands of different water users
Groundwater levels are maintained by limiting abstraction
2 cons of drainage basin planning
Where a river flows through more than one country, management can prove to be extremely complex. Transboundary issues tend to slow down agreements as to how the water cycle should be used or make them virtually impossible.
Geopolitics can be a significant element in managing river basins in some regions
