Water World

Hydrological cycle:

A finite amout of water which goes round and round, without any lost or added. It's a closed system. 

Stores: Rocks, soil, oceans and lakes which hold up relatively small amounts of fresh water. 

Transfers: Groundwater flow, infiltration, precipitation, throughflow, surface run-off. 

Water Cycle: As the population increase, so does the demand for water and agriculture. This could lead to potential water wars in the middle east. 

Decline in availability of Water: 

• Urbanisation
• industrial development
• tourism
• agricultural demands
• climate change
• population growth

Water stress: When the demand for water is greater than the supply, or when the water is not of good enough quallity to be used. 

Water Scarcity:

• Physical - The demand for water is greater than the availability of water (developed countries)
• Economic - There is water available, but can't afford to exploit them (developing)

SAHEL Case study

Global warming:

• Less rain for some areas
• more extreme weather (droughts, floods and storms)
• increased rate of glaciers melt. 

People can suffer economic water stress if water isnt safe. 

Pollution can be:

• domestic
• industrial
• agricultural
• transport related

Sources of water pollution:

• Sewage
• cattle waste
• industrial discharge
• crop spraying
• fertilisers washed in
• salt runoff from roads 

Developed Countries

• Take large steps to controlling pollution
• Tertiary and quaternary sectors cause less pollution

Developing countries

• Where high levels of pollution is found
• Put economic growth before environmental protection.

Japan Case Study

Impacts of pollution:

• Diseases (cholera)
• Eutrophication (fertilisers make algae grow really fast, which takes up O2 in the water, causing the living things in the water to die
• Cancer 

How do people intervene in the water cycle?

• Overabstraction
• deforestation
• global warming
• urbanisation
• building dams and reservoirs
• cloud seeding 

Overabstraction: Taking too much water from the river/lake/water source. 

Thames Valley case study 

Reservoir building:

Conflicts:

• Loss of land (villages drowned)
• Diseases (stagnant water - mosquitoes)

Benefits: 

• Water supply & Recreation (fishing, sailing, walking, wildlife)

Deforestation:

• Fewer tress - less evapotranspiration
• Soil exposed to sun and rain
• Less interception - greater flood risk  

SOLUTION: Large scale - Big dams 

BENEFITS OF DAMS: 

• Water supply
• receational use
• Habitat for water birds

CONFLICTS OF DAMS: 

• less of farmland
• less navigation
• disease - stagnant water
• less cultural sites 

China case study

Three Gorges Dam 

Deforestation:

• Fewer tress - less evapotranspiration
• Soil exposed to sun and rain
• Less interception - greater flood risk  

SOLUTION: Large scale - Big dams 

BENEFITS OF DAMS: 

• Water supply
• receational use
• Habitat for water birds

CONFLICTS OF DAMS: 

• less of farmland
• less navigation
• disease - stagnant water
• less cultural sites 

China case study

Three Gorges Dam 

NGO's (Non-Government organisations) WATERAID

• Find Appropiate intermediate solutions - schemes that meet the needs of the local people and the environment
• They continue to run schemes when NGO has left e.g Rainwater, Tube wells

Dhaka, Bangladesh

PROBLEMS:

• High number of people suffering from diseases such as HIV - Too ill to operate.  

NGO's (Non-Government organisations) WATERAID

• Find Appropiate intermediate solutions - schemes that meet the needs of the local people and the environment
• They continue to run schemes when NGO has left e.g Rainwater, Tube wells

Dhaka, Bangladesh

PROBLEMS:

• High number of people suffering from diseases such as HIV - Too ill to operate.