Section C - The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity Flashcards

1
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

The cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and land

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2
Q

Stores in the water cycle - Hydrosphere, oceans - what percentage of the Earth’s water oceans contain?

A

The oceans contain 97% of Earth’s water

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3
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is evaporation?

A

Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate

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4
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is condensation?

A

Water vapour rises and condenses as clouds

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5
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is advection?

A

Winds move clouds through the atmosphere

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6
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is percipitation?

A

Water droplets fall from clouds as drizzle, rain, snow or ice

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7
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is snowmelt?

A

Snow and ice accumulate, later melting back into liquid water or turning into vapour

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8
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is surface runoff?

A

Water flows above ground as runoff, forming streams, rivers, swamps, ponds and lakes

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9
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is interception?

A

Plants intercept percipitation falling from the sky

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10
Q

Processes of the water cycle - What is infiltration/percolation?

A

Water is soaked into the ground, flows below it, and seeps back out enriched in minerals

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11
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of oceans?

A

% of total water = 97%
% of fresh water = 0%
Residence time = 3600 years

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12
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of icecaps?

A

% of total water = 1.9%
% of fresh water = 68%
Residence time = 15,000 years depending on size

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13
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of groundwater?

A

% of total water = 1.1%
% of fresh water = 30%
Residence time = Up to 10,000 years for deep groundwater, 100-200 years for shallow ground water

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14
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of rivers and lakes?

A

% of total water = 0.01%
% of fresh water = 1.2%
Residence time = 2 weeks to 10 years

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15
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of soil moisture?

A

% of total water = 0.01%
% of fresh water = 0.05%
Residence time = 2-50 weeks

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16
Q

What is the % of total water, % of freshwater and residence time of atmospheric moisture?

A

% of total water = 0.001%
% of fresh water = 0.04%
Residence time = 10 days

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17
Q

Amazonia case study - average temp and climate

A
  • 27 degrees C average temp in the amazon
  • Warm and wet climate all year round
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18
Q

Amazonia case study - What % of global freshwater per day come from Amazon river discharge?

A

15%

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19
Q

Between 2000 and 2007 what was the Amazon’s rate of deforestation per year?

A

20,000 km2 per year

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20
Q

Brazil pollution stats (global polluter ranking and % of emissions used for land use change)

A
  • Brazil is the 6th largest polluter in the world
  • 75% of their emissions are from deforestation and land-use change
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21
Q

What are the impacts of human activity in the Amazon on the water cycle? (3)

A
  • Extreme rainfall events could lead to more flash flooding events
  • Overall reduction in river discharge
  • 15% less water can be held in the soil - more easily eroded - faster rates of runoff
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22
Q

Have there been attempts to reduce deforestation in Brazil? (2)

A
  • In 2008 the Zero Deforestation Campaign was proposed – this later became the Amazon Fund
  • However, under Bolsonaro deforestation rates have risen significantly again, further threatening the Amazonia
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23
Q

Sahel case study - Type of hazard, when

A
  • Drought
  • Happening now
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24
Q

Sahel case study - Why is it happening and what are four human factors?

A

Changing rainfall patters caused droughts that have lasted for over a year - this has caused vegetation cover to wither and die, leaving soil exposed below – human factors are overgrazing, overpopulation, overcultivation, and human enhanced climate change

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25
Q

Sahel case study - Social impacts - What will happen to people’s land and what will this lead to?

A

If desertification continues to occur people will lose land that could be used for farming and livestock so they won’t be able to provide for their families leading to poverty and famine

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26
Q

Sahel case study - Economic impacts

A

The loss of arable land means less opportunities for people to sell and market food which would be the main source of income for people in these developing nations

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27
Q

Sahel case study - Environmental impacts

A

Loss of habitats due to desertification will mean a less diverse ecosystem and potentially endangering animals as humans will have to use other lands to make up for land lost to the drought – drought also dries up rivers

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28
Q

Sahel case study - Responses (changes in agriculture)

A

Encouraging farmers to grow drought resistant crops, using drip irrigation systems to reduced water usage

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29
Q

Australia case study - Type of hazard, when

A
  • Drought
  • 2015-16
30
Q

Australia case study - What led to it and when?

A

Particularly strong El Nino wind led to harsh drought between 2015-16

31
Q

Australia case study - Social impacts (4)

A
  • Crop failure
  • Water restrictions
  • Wine industry affected by lack of water and risk of fire
  • Rural residents found it more difficult to access clean drinking water and safe food
32
Q

Australia case study - Economic impacts (what did fewer crops and livestock lead to)

A

With fewer crops and livestock, Australia had to import more food, this increased the price of food across the whole country

33
Q

Australia case study - Environmental impacts (destruction, what happened in May?)

A

Wildfires caused by drought destroyed vegetation and animals’ habitats, drought replaced by heavy rains in May which led to flooding, largest recorded mangrove dieback, less energy generated through hydroelectric power

34
Q

Australia case study - Immediate responses

A

People using less water, products such as dishwashers are rated for water efficiency, more and more homes are using water saving devices

35
Q

Australia case study - Long term responses - What is Australia investing in?

A

Australia is investing in large desalination plants which turn seawater into safe drinking water – costly but will help protect against droughts

36
Q

UK case study - Type of hazard, when

A
  • Flood
  • Summer 2007
37
Q

UK case study - What led to it and what did this cause?

A

Exceptionally heavy rainfall in the summer of 2007 caused extensive flooding in the UK, particularly in East Yorkshire and the Midlands

38
Q

UK case study - Social impacts (2)

A
  • 13 deaths
  • Mental health symptoms among individuals who reported flooding in their homes
39
Q

UK case study - Economic impacts (cost of damages)

A

£6.5 billion in damages

40
Q

UK case study - Environmental impacts (3)

A
  • Water quality degradation
  • Soil erosion
  • Increased green house gas emissions
41
Q

UK case study - Immediate responses

A

Fast response from emergency rescue teams as well as the 4x4 response group who helped blue light services (emergency services)

42
Q

UK case study - Long term responses (How much money did gov contribute to flood defs and the affected councils)

A

Gov would increase the spending on risk management and flood defences by £200 million to £800 million by 2010-2011 as well as give £46 million to the councils affected

43
Q

Bangladesh case study - Type of hazard, when

A
  • Flood
  • May 2022 to June 2022
44
Q

Bangladesh case study - What led to it?

A

Deadly floods hit North-eastern India and Bangladesh which was caused by Monsoon rains

45
Q

Bangladesh case study - Social impacts (4) (affected, killed, land, disease)

A
  • Over 9 million in both countries affected
  • 300 killed
  • 53,000 hectares of land submerged
  • 20,000 cases of waterborne disease as of July 2022 leading to 75 deaths
46
Q

Bangladesh case study - Economic impacts (2)

A
  • Floods submerged 53,000 hectares of land
  • Damage to agricultural livestock = $230 million
47
Q

Bangladesh case study - Environmental impacts

A
  • Excess water drains into rivers and underground aquifers, water is also polluted with fertilisers
  • Constant flooding creates erosion, water logging, and salination of the soil
48
Q

Bangladesh case study - Immediate responses (how many people taken to how many shelters?)

A

475,000 people taken to around 1600 shelters in a combined effort of emergency services and the Army

49
Q

Bangladesh case study - Long-term responses (What did Bangladesh do and how much did the WB contribute?)

A

Rebuilding of infrastructure after the damage from flooding and $500 million World Bank financing to help Bangladesh improve disaster preparedness for floods

50
Q

What % of water on earth is stored as fresh water?

A

2.5%

51
Q

What % of fresh water is readily accessible surface water?

A

1%

52
Q

EQ3 case study - California - What happened up until 2016 and from 2017

A

California experienced several years of drought conditions up until 2016 but from 2017 experienced major storms and an abundance of precipitation

53
Q

During this period, how many wildfires have occurred and acres of farm land been lost in California?

A

1000 wildfire
640,000 acres of farm land lost

54
Q

What is the normal winter scenario for California?

A

In normal winters, southwest winds from the ocean deliver water but these winds have failed in California

55
Q

What is the cause of these failed winds in California?

A

Not really linked to climate change, human enhanced or otherwise - instead, La Nina has produced drier conditions in the West, as opposed to El Nino which would have caused above average rainfall

56
Q

EQ3 case study - The Nile - Situation in Uganda (pop rise and impacts of this)

A

Ugandan pop expected to triple by 2050 to 97 million - raises demand for water and food from the Nile - gov wants to build dams on the Nile to protect against this issue but this would restrict the flow of water to countries such as Sudan and Egypt

57
Q

EQ3 case study - The Nile - Situation in Ethiopia - (pop rise and its impacts)

A

In Ethiopia, pop expected to reach 150 million by 2050 – raises demand for water and food from the Nile – similar to Uganda, Ethiopia wants to build dams and keep more of the Nile’s water for itself – brings it into conflict with Egypt and Sudan

58
Q

EQ3 Case study - The Nile - Situation in Sudan

A

Sudan is facing a problem of desertification and a falling water table – Sudanese gov wants to expand the use of irrigation systems to increase food supply which will mean taking more water from the Nile – again brings it into conflict with the others

59
Q

EQ3 - The Nile - Situation in Egypt

A

Egypt pop expected to rise to 122 million in 2050 – rise in demand for water and food from the Nile – Egypt relies on the Nile for 90% of its water supply – the Nile’s water is used to irrigate farmland on either side of the river allowing crips to be grown for domestic use and for export

60
Q

EQ3 - Case study - The Three Gorges Dam - When was construction complete?

A

Construction on the Three Gorges Dam was completed in 2008

61
Q

EQ3 - Case study - The Three Gorges Dam - What does the Yangtze river drain?

A

The Yangtze river drains an area of 1.8 million km2 – home to over 400 million people or about a third of China’s pop

62
Q

EQ3 - Case study - The Three Gorges Dam - What is the objective of the Three Gorges Dam?

A

Aims to reduce flooding, improve navigation for shipping and generate electricity through hydropower - also helps control the level of water in the Yangtze during times of flooding

63
Q

EQ3 - Case study - The Three Gorges Dam - How many people does the Three Gorges Dam benefit/how much farm land it protects?

A

Benefits over 15 million people living in areas that are at high-risk of flooding, whilst also protecting 25000 hectares of farmland

64
Q

EQ3 Case study - The Three Gorges Dam - Negatives of the Three Gorges Dam

A

Yangtze River is becoming more and more polluted from shipping and waste discharge

65
Q

EQ3 Case study - Aral Sea - Reasons for depletion of the Aral Sea?

A

Soviet gov in 1918 deciding that the two rivers that fed the Aral sea would be diverted to irrigate the desert in order to grow crops

66
Q

EQ3 Case study - Aral Sea - What did the loss of water lead to?

A

Led to the sea shrinking and the water evaporating, causing the sea to start shrinking in the early 1960s - this led to fewer fish being able to survive in the sea due to the increasing pollution and saline in the sea – this in turn led to fewer jobs in the area for fishermen which led to people moving away in search of new jobs

67
Q

EQ3 Case study - Aral Sea - Other impacts (sea port, biodiversity)

A

Led to a severe reduction in the Aral Sea port - many plants and animals that used to live in the sea have migrated away or died

68
Q

EQ3 Case study - Aral Sea - What has been done to combat the loss of water?

A

In 2005, the Kazaks built the Kokaral Dam which has led to partial recovery in the North Aral Sea

69
Q

EQ3 - Case study - Kielder Water Transfer - Background

A

The North East of England is highly variable in how much precipitation it receives - to ensure enough precipitation, the Kielder Water Transfer Scheme was built

70
Q

EQ3 - Case study - Kielder Water Transfer - What is the Kielder Water Transfer itself?

A

A water management scheme designed to store water for the North East of England - built in the North West of England, a high precipitation zone

71
Q

EQ3 Case study - Kielder Water Transfer - How much water does Kielder receive in comparison to Newcastle?

A

Kielder receives 1700mm of water per year – Newcastle only receives 644mm per year

72
Q

EQ3 Case study - What happens to the water from Kielder?

A

The water from Kielder is then pumped through a pipeline to areas in North-East England that need it