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Chapter 15: Water Resources

Chapter 15: Water Resources. Earth systems/resources Unit. All water. Fresh water. Readily accessible fresh water. Groundwater 0.592%. Biota 0.0001%. Rivers 0.0001%. Lakes 0.007%. Lakes 0.007%. 0.014%. Fresh water 2.6%. Oceans and saline lakes 97.4%. Ice caps

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Chapter 15: Water Resources

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  1. Chapter 15: Water Resources Earth systems/resources Unit

  2. All water Fresh water Readily accessible fresh water Groundwater 0.592% Biota 0.0001% Rivers 0.0001% Lakes 0.007% Lakes 0.007% 0.014% Fresh water 2.6% Oceans and saline lakes 97.4% Ice caps and glaciers 1.984% Soil moisture 0.005% Oceans and saline lakes 97.4% Ice caps and glaciers 1.984% Atmospheric water vapor 0.001% Soil moisture 0.005% Oceans and saline lakes 97.4% Earth’s water • 97.4% - Salt water • 2.6% - fresh water • 2% stored in ice caps and glaciers • .59% as ground water • .01% as accessible groundwater/surface water • The .01% accessible water is recycled through the water cycle

  3. Groundwater

  4. Ogallala Aquifer:World’s largest known aquifer. WYOMING SOUTH DAKOTA Less than 61 meters (200 ft) 61-183 meters (200-600 ft) More than 183 meters (600 ft) (as much as 370 meters or 1,200 ft. in places) NEBRASKA KANSAS COLORADO OKLAHOMA NEW MEXICO TEXAS Miles 0 100 0 160 Kilometers

  5. Why would anyone want to live there?? Fertile soil Available water supply for irrigation Nearby rivers for transportation Land typically flat – good for building on, railroads, roads, etc Living in the Floodplain

  6. Changes to make life “better” • Levee

  7. Channelization

  8. Great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there… • Floods are beneficial to the land – they replenish soil with nutrients (silt) • Flooding is getting worse because of: • Removal of vegetation • Draining of wetlands • Levee systems that trap water in • More pavement • More humans living in floodplain

  9. Went to the levee, but the levee was dry Reservoir Dam Levee Flood wall Floodplain

  10. How do we use the water? agricultural (typically irrigation) industrial use residential use. 70% 20% 10%

  11. Acute shortage Shortage Adequate supply Metropolitan regions with population greater than 1 million Water Distribution in US • US has enough water for everyone, but much is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  12. Water scarcity • Dry Climate: normally has little precipitation • Drought: precipitation is 70% lower than normal • Desiccation: drying of soil because of deforestation, overgrazing • Water stress: low water availability because more people are relying on the water supply.

  13. Lake Chad, in less than 40 yrs.

  14. Hydrological Poverty • Developed countries have the ability to bring water into needed areas • Developing countries, the people are forced to live where the water is • Water quality may decline from animals • Improper disposal of waste • Water for bathing may also be water for drinking…

  15. IDAHO WYOMING Dam Aqueduct or canal Grand Junction Upper Basin Lower Basin UTAH COLORADO Colorado River: Withdrawal is so high from this river that it typically no longer reaches the Gulf of California Lake Powell Grand Canyon Glen Canyon Dam Las Vegas NEW MEXICO ARIZONA CALIFORNIA 0 0 Gulf of California MEXICO

  16. Trade-Offs China’s Three Gorges Dam Disadvantages Will generate about 10% of China’s electricity Reduces dependence on coal Reduces air pollution Reduces CO2 emissions Reduces chances of downstream flooding for 15 million people Reduces river sitting below dam by eroded soil Increases irrigation water for cropland below dam Floods large areas of cropland and forests Displaces 1.9 million people Increases water pollution because of reduced water flow Reduces deposits of nutrient- rich sediments below dam Increases saltwater Introduced into drinking water near mouth of river because of decreased water flow Disrupts spawning and migration of some fish below dam High cost Three Gorges Dam:Scheduled completion in 2013. Largest hydroelectric dam in the world (1.2 miles long). Located on Yangtze River in China. Advantages

  17. Transferring water • Water diversion: man-made alterations to bring water to where we want/need it. • Tunnels, underground pipes, aqueducts (cement lined/artificial river), changing the landscapes • California Water Project • Arizona Water Project • ADVANTAGES: get water to wear it is needed. • DISADVANTAGES: water is often wasted, degraded, and the source of arguments

  18. Precautionary Measures • Use of dams, reservoirs to store excess water and release slowly • Preserve or restore wetlands (natural reservoirs) • Management of flood-prone areas (standards for building in flood areas) • Use of levees or floodwalls to hold back water Remember: the river (or ocean) always wins

  19. Downstream cropland and estuaries are deprived of nutrient-rich silt Flooded land destroys forests or cropland and displaces people Large losses of water through evaporation Downstream flooding is reduced Provides water for year-round irrigation of cropland Reservoir is useful for recreation and fishing Can produce cheap electricity (hydropower) Migration and spawning of some fish are disrupted DAM that water

  20. Solutions to water problems • Towing icebergs • Cloud seeding • Desalination (costs WAY too much) • Collecting run off spring water into gigantic baggies and towing them to where it is needed (Plastic in the ocean?)

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