AICE Enviro unit 6

Distribution of earth’s water

• saltwater in oceans 97.5%

• surface freshwater

  • ice sheets, glaciers 79%

  • lakes 52%

  • rivers, swamps, marshes, permafrost

• subsurface water

  • soil moisture 50%,

  • groundwater 20%,

  • permafrost

• atmospheric water

Water security

the ability to access sufficient quantities of ocean water to maintain adequate standards of food and manufacturing of goods, adequate sanitation, and sustainable healthcare.

Causes of water insecurity

• climate change, precipitation changes

• natural disasters, drought/flooding

• pollution events

• inadequate sanitation

• population growth, changes in land usage including deforestation and urbanization.

• competing demands from agricultural, industrial, energy and domestic sectors

• Mismanagement of irrigation, including salinization

• international competition of availability between water rich and water poor regions

• differing access to safe drinking water in urban and rural areas.

Positive feedback loop

water taken out of an area is recycled back in but not at the same rate it is taken out

• does not always come back in same form

Natural drainage

• Natural ground cover

• storm water infiltrates into ground

• plants and trees work to absorb storm water

Urban stormwater drainage

• city setting 70-100% imperious surface areas

• water hits imperious surface and runs off roofs, streets, parking lots etc.

• water runoff goes into sewers

  • 30% evaporation

  • 55% run off

  • 10% shallow infiltration

  • 5% deep infiltration

Mismanagement

• water is underpriced to allow easy access to safe drinking water, this distorts its value

  ex. leaks, wasteful irrigation, overflowing groundwater, not conserving during dry season.

Salinization

increase of salt concentration in soil and is in most cases caused by dissolved salts in the water supply

• this supply of water can be caused by flooding or the land by seawater, seepage of water.

• due to climate change, sea levels are rising which further accelerates the process of salinization

Clean water in rural areas bad

• lack of infrastructure

• more dependence on small scale local water systems (wells, rivers) which are more likely to be contaminated

• less regulation and sanitation

• less technology

Impacts of water insecurity

• reduced crop yield or crop failure

• livestock death

• food shortages, malnutrition, and famine

• illness caused by drinking water

  • diarrhea

  • cholera

Waterborne illness

Cholera - an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhea

Diarrhea - can lead to dehydration and malnutrition in some ateas

Strategies for water security

• sustainable water extraction and improved supply

• piped supply, aquifers, artesian wells, boreholes, gravity fed schemes, reservoirs, and dams.

• reduction in water usage

  • improved irrigation techniques, growing crops, less dependent on high water supply

• education on sustainable water use

• poverty reduction

• Interational agreements and water related aid

• rationing

Sustainable water extraction

• boreholes

• piped supply

• boreholes

  • deep narrow hold made in the ground to locate water and oil

Internation agreement

2/3 of global freshwater flow is shared according to the UN, over 90% of the world’s population lives in countries that share water basins. Globally there are some 263 transboundary lake and river basins covering nearly one half of the Earth’s land surface and accounting for an estimated 60% of global freshwater flow. In addition, about 2 billion people worldwide depend on groundwater, which includes approx. 300 transboundary aquifer systems.

• basically, everyone must share water, not one country is in control even if it crosses borders.

Coral nurseries

Coral nurseries are underwater structures used in areas where coral populations have declined due to major environmental events or disease. Corals are grown on these structures, and then transplanted back to the reef to bolster existing colonies. Coral nurseries provide protection from storms, predation and other stressors as corals grow. The goal is to transplant the healthy, nursery-reared corals back out into the degraded reef, to bolster existing colonies and help reseed damaged areas after major events.

Sluice Gates

a sliding gate or other device for controlling the flow of water, especially one in a lock gate.

Ocean currents affect marine fisheries

Ocean currents affect marine fisheries by moving nutrient-rich waters that support plankton growth, which attracts fish and other marine life. Upwelling areas, where cold, deep waters rise to the surface, create highly productive fishing zones, such as off the coast of Peru. In contrast, regions dominated by warm currents tend to have fewer nutrients and smaller fish populations.

Continental Shelves affect marine fisheries

Continental shelves support rich fisheries because their shallow, sunlit waters promote plankton growth and receive nutrients from rivers and runoff. This combination creates ideal feeding and breeding grounds for fish, making areas like the Grand Banks and the North Sea major fishing hotspots.