Water use topic Flashcards
Explain how salty water becomes fresh water in the water cycle.
Evaporation - Energy from the Sun causes water to evaporate.
Condensation - After evaporation water can cool and convert from gas to liquid, often forming clouds.
Transportation - Water within the clouds are blown by strong winds and transported to other areas.
Precipitation - This occurs when rain, snow, hail and sleet fall from the sky.
Surface runoff - A lot of water is absorbed into the ground after precipitation but some water runs along the surface of the ground.
Infiltration - This occurs when water that has fallen as precipitation is absorbed into the ground. This is then stored within underground rocks called aquifers.
Transpiration - Plants allow some water to evaporate as water vapour from their leaves.
What do we use freshwater for?
There are 3 main purposes: agricultural use, domestic use and industrial use.
Water is used in agriculture to grow grass and crops, to support livestock and for general on-farm use (such as cleaning, sanitation, crop spraying).
Domestic water use is water used for indoor and outdoor household purposes.
Industrial water uses include: fabricating, processing, washing, or transporting a product
what is fresh water?
Fresh water is any naturally occurring water except seawater and brackish water. Fresh water includes water in ice sheets, glaciers, icebergs, ponds, lakes, rivers, etc.
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It is stored in and moves slowly through geologic formations called aquifers.
What is an aquifer?
An aquifer is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move.
What does it mean to irrigate?
To supply (land) with water by artificial means such as: by diverting streams, flooding, or spraying.
What is physical water scarcity?
Physical water scarcity occurs when there is not enough water to meet all demands.
What is economic water scarcity?
Economic water scarcity is caused by a lack of investment in water or a lack of human capacity to satisfy the demand for water, even in places where water is abundant.
