Chapter 4 - Water and its management Flashcards
(105 cards)
1
Q
Describe the global water distribution
A
Oceans cover 75% of earth’s surface. Oceans and seas contain 97% of all earths water and only 3% of water is freshwater and potentially useable by humans. However, around 65% of the 3% of freshwater is in deep freeze in ice caps and glaciers. Other locations that contain freshwater include ground water, the atmosphere, lakes, and rivers.
2
Q
Water cycle diagram
A
3
Q
What is precipitation?
A
Precipitation is the process in which liquid water (as rain), or ice particles (as snow or hail) fall to earth due to gravity.
4
Q
What is surface run off?
A
Surface run off is the process by which water runs over the ground into rivers.
5
Q
What is interception?
A
Interception is the process by which precipitation is stopped from reaching the ground surface the presence of tress and other plants.
6
Q
What is infiltration?
A
Infiltration is the process by which water seeps into the ground.
7
Q
What is through flow?
A
Through flow is the process by which infiltrated water flows through the soil. This happens close to the surface.
8
Q
What is ground water flow?
A
Ground water flow is the process by which infiltrated water flows through rocks. This happens deeper down the earth.
9
Q
What is transpiration?
A
Transpiration is the movement of water up plants and its subsequent loss as water vapour from their leaves.
10
Q
What is evaporation?
A
Evaporation is the process by which liquid turns into water vapour.
11
Q
What is condensation?
A
Condensation is the process in which water vapour turns into liquid water.
12
Q
What is an aquifer?
A
Aquifers is when water is stored in porous rocks under the ground.
13
Q
What is an artesian aquifer?
A
Artesian aquifers are aquifers in which water is under pressure
14
Q
What is a well?
A
A well is a hole bored or dug into rock to reach the water stored there.
15
Q
What is surface water?
A
Surface water can be found in lakes, rivers, and swamps.
16
Q
What are rivers?
A
Rivers are large, natural streams of flowing water into the sea, lake, or another river. They provide surface transfers of water to low land areas where farms villages, towns and cities are concentrated.
17
Q
What is ground water?
A
Ground water is water in the soil and in rocks under the surface of the ground.
18
Q
What are reservoirs?
A
Reservoirs are artificial lakes where water can be stored.
19
Q
What are service reservoirs?
A
Service reservoirs are reservoirs in which potable water is stored.
20
Q
What are water towers?
A
Water towers are a type of reservoir where potable water is stored for immediate use.
21
Q
What is a cistern?
A
A cistern is a vessel which water that is usually potable is stored and forming a type of covered reservoir.
22
Q
What is desalination?
A
Desalination is the removal of salt from water done by distillation or reverse osmosis
23
Q
What is distillation?
A
Distillation is the purification of a liquid by boiling a solution so that the liquid evaporates and can be collected when it condenses at a lower temperature. This process is 10-30% efficient, uses a lot of energy and produces pollution.
24
Q
What is reverse osmosis?
A
Reverse osmosis is the purification of water by pumping it at a high pressure through a fine membrane. This process is 30-50% efficient and requires less energy than distillation.
25
What are nine domestic water usages?
Domestic uses includes drinking, cooking, washing, flushing the toilet, washing clothes, gardening, washing cars and some water that is lost in leaks.
26
What are five industrial water usages?
Industrial uses include cooling, mixing/making products such as dyes and paints, bottling and canning food and power generation.
27
What are two agricultural water usages?
Agricultural uses include irrigation of plants and for domestic animals to drink.
28
What are water-rich countries?
Water-rich countries have a plentiful fresh water supply.
29
What are water-poor countries?
Water-poor countries have scare fresh water supplies.
30
What is water conflict?
Water conflict is conflict between countries, states, or groups over access to water resources.
31
What is physical water scarcity?
Physical water scarcity is a situation in which there is simply not enough water for human needs.
32
What is economic water scarcity?
Economic water scarcity is a situation in which there is enough water available, but the money does not exist to extract it and/or treat it for human needs.
33
How do countries ensure that water is potable?
Even if water is available, it may not be safe to drink. The two main ways of ensuring water is potable is using sanitation systems which ensure that dirty water does not mix with water intended for human use and water treatment processes which ensure that the water supplied to people is safe to drink.
34
What is the relation between urban areas and potable water?
Urban areas have higher access to safe drinking water because there is more wealth/more wealthy people in cities, large numbers of people can work together to pressurise authorities to provide safe water, and it is cheaper to install piped water when people live closer together.
35
What are the eight factors that influence the choice of site for a dam?
High precipitation to provide sufficient water
Low temperature to prevent evaporation
Built on strong, impermeable rock so water does not drain through and has a good foundation
Built high up in order to have good potential for hydroelectric power
Narrow, steep sided valley for economic reasons
Rivers and lakes nearby to provide water
Away from developed areas to reduce the risk of pollution is reservoirs
Easily accessible.
36
What are eleven advantages of dams?
Generation of electricity in hydroelectric power plants
Flood control
Irrigation
Creates recreational land for tourism and leisure
Provision of water
Creation of habitat for wetland species
Access by boat to otherwise inaccessible areas
Renewable source of energy
Doesn’t produce greenhouse gases
Reduces fossil fuel consumption
Creates more jobs
37
What are nine disadvantages of dams?
Relocating people
Flooding land
Disrupting the life cycles of fish and other aquatic organisms
Dam may become redundant due to sediment build up
Very expensive to build
Requires maintenance
Reduces jobs for farmers if natural fishers are affected
Altering water supply for people downstream of the dam
Reducing soil enrichment downstream of the dam
38
What is one sustainable advantage of dams?
Alternative for burning fossil fuels as no greenhouse gases are produced
39
What are three unsustainable disadvantages of dams?
Reservoir can become silted due to material carried into it by rivers
Dam structure under a lot of pressure can deteriorate and eventually fall
Have negative effects on the environment and aquatic organisms.
40
How does domestic waste lead to water pollution?
Domestic waste is sewage from rural and urban settlements that carry many pathogenic microorganisms, therefore increasing the concentration of nitrates and phosphates in rivers. Detergents, metals, and other manufactured products contain traces of toxic chemicals.
41
How does sewage lead to water pollution?
Sewage is waste matter that is rich in organic matter, thus microbial organisms can thrive in it. It is usually disposed in bodies of water and therefore has to be treated.
42
How do industrial processes leading to water pollution?
Industrial process include the use of chemicals, the processing of metal ores and the leaching of metal from waste heaps and dumps cause the presence of metals in rivers. Gases from industrial chimneys enter the atmosphere where they dissolve in water and form acid rain.
43
How do agricultural practices leading to water pollution?
Agricultural practices contain a surplus of phosphorous and nitrogen that is not absorbed by the plants and are washed from the land or percolate int the ground water. On farms, animal manure, synthetic fertiliser and chemical pesticides and main sources.
44
What are agrochemicals?
Agrochemicals are pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
45
What are six impacts of water pollution?
global inequalities in sewage and water treatment, risk of bacterial diseases, accumulation of toxic substances from industrial processes, biomagnification, bioaccumulation, effect of acid rain and eutrophication
46
How does water pollution lead to global inequalities in sewage and water treatment?
Global inequalities in sewage and water treatment means that undeveloped countries (LEDC’s) have difficulty treating water and sewage compared to developed countries (MEDC’s) as people aren’t as educated and can’t put pressure on the government.
47
How does water pollution lead to a risk of infectious bacterial diseases?
Risk of infectious bacterial diseases as typhoid and cholera are waterborne diseases and are caused by drinking contaminated water.
48
How does water pollution lead to the accumulation of toxic substances from industrial processes in lakes and rivers?
Accumulation of toxic substances from industrial processes in lakes and rivers reduced oxygen in lakes and rivers, causing a reduction in photosynthesis and death of fish and insect larvae.
49
How does water pollution lead to biomagnification of toxic substances in food chains?
Biomagnification of toxic substances in food chains increases the concentration of toxic substances in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain, causing illness.
50
How does water pollution lead to bioaccumulation?
Bioaccumulation is the accumulation of toxic chemical in the tissue of a particular organism.
51
How does water pollution lead to acid rain affecting organisms in rivers and lakes?
Effect of acid rain on organisms in rivers and lakes is that a lower pH makes the environment intolerable for aquatic life, fish egg laying is reduce and young fish are malformed, leaching of heavy metals such as aluminium, lead and mercury from the soil into the water, aluminium clogs fish gills and causes suffocation, minerals essential for life are washed out of the lake or river therefore reducing algae growth and leaving less food for aquatic animals.
52
How does water pollution lead to nutrient enrichment causing eutrophication
Nutrient enrichment leading to eutrophication is caused by an increase in nutrients which causes the rapid growth of algae, the death of algae causes an increase in organic matter that acts as food for bacteria as they decompose the dead algae, bacteria use up oxygen therefore reducing the oxygen content in the water and causing the death of other aquatic organisms.
53
What are three ways to manage water pollution?
improved sanitation, treatment of sewage and pollution control and legislation
54
How does improved sanitation manage water pollution?
Improved sanitation separates human excreta from contact with humans. This can be achieved by toilets and latrines. Waste can be removed by connection to a system of sewer pipes or sewage that collects human faeces, urine and wastewater or connection to a septic system which consists of an underground, sealed settling tank.
55
How does the treatment of sewage manage water pollution?
Treatment of sewage aims to reduce the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of the sewage.
56
Describe the process of sewage treatment
Firstly, sewage outfall, which is wastewater from homes and industries, is taken into a sewage treatment plant in sewers.
A screening tank is used to remove large objects from the waste using a coarse grid.
The primary treatment, first settling tank allows solid, organic matter, mainly human waste, to settle at the bottom of the tank as sludge, which is then treated in a sludge digester. Clean water then overflows the sides of the tank and is taken to the next stage.
The secondary treatment, oxidation pumps water into a tank where oxygen is bubbled through it. This encourages the growth of bacteria and other microbes that breakdown organic matter which causes BOD.
In the secondary treatment, second settling tank water enters, and bacteria settles to the bottom which forms ever more sludge. This cleaner water then overflows the sides of the tank as effluent and is usually discharged into a river.
The sludge digester has oxygen-free conditions that are created to encourage the growth of bacteria which can break down the sludge, releasing methane, which can be burnt. Treated sludge can be dried in sludge lagoons and used as organic fertiliser on farmlands.
The tertiary treatment is used to further filter out its effluent or its chlorination which produces even cleaner effluent that protects the habitat in which it is released.
Water treatment makes water potable by undergoing coagulation treatment, being filtered and disinfected.
Coagulation is when particles in the water are stuck together and settle to the bottom of the tank, water is then filtered through sand.
Chlorination is when you add chlorine as a disinfectant to kill any remaining pathogens.
57
How does pollution control and legislation manage water pollution?
Pollution control and legislation puts pressure on polluters to find ways to reduce pollutants. Industries are required to monitor the pollution they causes and keep it within a let level. There may be fines for exceeding limits, companies may be prosecuted in extreme cases and forced to shut down, companies may need government agreement on strategic plans to reduce pollution levels and incentives may be used to encourage companies to take part such as granting tax reliefs.
58
What are water-borne diseases?
Water-borne diseases are spread by consuming contaminated water due to poor sanitation and untreated sewage, or by washing food, pots, pans, hands, or face in dirty water. Some examples of water-borne diseases are cholera and typhoid.
59
What is cholera?
Cholera is an intestinal infection that causes severe diarrhoea that may lead to dehydration and eventually death.
60
What are water-bred diseases?
Water-bred diseases occur when the carrier breeds in water and spreads the disease by biting its victims. An example of this is malaria.
61
What is malaria?
Malaria is a life-threatening disease which is transmitted through the bit of an infected mosquito (vector) that carries the parasite. Once a human is bitten by a mosquito, the parasite reaches your blood stream.
62
What are five strategies to control malaria?
Sleeping under mosquito nets and using antimalarial drugs in and around homes
Draining marshes and stagnant pools to eliminate breeding grounds
Put kerosene over the top of pools to choke the larvae
Spray antimalarial drubs on stagnant areas of water to kill the larvae
Use vaccinations
Educate people on the risks of malaria by setting up campaigns and programmes
63
What are five strategies to control cholera?
Ensure that sewage and drinking water are kept separate
Sewage removed directly into a treatment facility
Water being treated before its delivered into homes
Do not use contaminated water to wash food
Hands should be washed after contact with any faecal matter
Boiling water and chlorination
64
Lifecycle of a malaria parasite diagram
65
State the process that released water from plant leaves (1)
Transpiration
66
Suggest three reasons why some people do not have access to safely managed water (3)
lack of infrastructure / pipes;
remote locations / rural areas;
lack of rainfall / water stores;
insufficient money;
water is contaminated / polluted / water-borne disease;
population increase;
conflict;
67
State two strategies to treat drinking water which is contaminated with cholera (2)
boiling;
chlorination;
68
Describe how cholera enters drinking water (3)
bacterial disease / Vibrio cholerae;
poor sanitation / e.g. open toilets;
poor personal hygiene;
faeces / waste (from infected person);
through run off (to water source / ground water);
69
Suggest two reasons why some fresh water sources are not used for drinking water, other than contamination (2)
frozen;
remote location/ not near population;
too deep;
geology;
70
Explain why large fish have the greatest radiation levels (5)
radiation released into the ocean;
radiation in the air enters ocean through rain;
radiation absorbed by (named) organism / all organisms;
bioaccumulation;
radiation retained in organism / egestion less than ingestion;
description of build up of radiation in higher trophic levels / feeds on organisms containing radiation / moves up the food
chain;
large fish are a high trophic level;
71
Explain why low rainfall can increase the risk of soil erosion (2)
plants die;
less roots to hold or bind the soil;
less water in the soil / soil dries out;
soil (particles), become lighter / easier to blow in wind / risk of wind erosion;
less infiltration;
72
Ice sheets and glaciers contain stored frozen water. State one other natural form of stored frozen water on Earth (1)
permafrost ;
73
Leptospirosis is a water‑related disease that causes liver and kidney failure. Like cholera, leptospirosis is a bacterial disease. Suggest how people can avoid catching leptospirosis (3)
boil drinking water ;
chlorinate drinking water ;
don’t use contaminated water to prepare food ;
don’t swim in rivers that may be contaminated ;
cover cuts / wounds ;
wash hands frequently / good personal hygiene ;
improve sanitation ;
74
The river is dry because of a drought in Somalia.
Suggest two other reasons why the river is dry (2)
irrigation / crops / agricultural ;
livestock farming ;
industrial use ;
domestic / people use ;
construction of a dam (upstream) ;
75
Describe two limitations of collecting fresh water using wells (2)
only small volumes can be collected / only limited amount ;
well will, dry up quickly / collapse quickly ;
person may miss school / time consuming / labour intensive ;
water may contain, bacteria / diseases / pathogen / named example ;
contains soil / or is cloudy ;
76
State two strategies of vector control for malaria (2)
removal of standing water ;
covering water / oil on water ;
killing larvae / use fish to control larvae / biological control ;
insecticide use ;
releasing sterile males ;
77
State three processes that add water to the atmosphere (3)
evaporation;
transpiration;
respiration;
78
One impact of a tsunami is the contamination of water. Explain why this is a danger to people (2)
can lead to water-borne disease;
named disease, e.g. cholera, typhoid;
people don’t have enough water to drink/dehydrated;
fields / crops, covered with, salt / contaminated water;
leads to crop failure / lack of food;
leads to illness / death when eating contaminated crops / drinking contaminated water;
79
Describe how water can be extracted from aquifers and made safe for drinking.
drill a bore hole / construct a well;
pump water to surface / water rises under pressure;
boil / chlorinate / treat with chlorine;
to sterilise / remove microorganisms;
80
State the names of two sources of fresh water (2)
aquifers;
lakes;
rivers;
reservoirs;
desalination systems;
rainwater harvesting;
81
Suggest why the people living in Uruguay are at very low risk from cholera (3)
drinking water is not contaminated with sewage;
all sewage is treated so, cholera / bacterium, cannot survive;
so human cholera carriers cannot spread disease;
Cholera is a water borne disease;
Uruguay has vaccinated its population;
Uruguay has good medical facilities;
Uruguay has education about hygiene;
82
Describe the impacts of melting sea ice (3)
rise of sea level;
flooding;
loss of land / habitat;
forced migration;
83
Explain what is meant by bioaccumulation (2)
(toxic substance) is absorbed;
(absorbed) faster than it is lost (from an organism) / not excreted (fast enough) ;
84
State two strategies to treat water that contains bacteria to make it safe to drink (2)
boiling;
chlorination;
85
Suggest reasons why travelling long distances to collect clean water is one of the causes of
poverty (3)
takes up time;
can’t, have regular a job / do work;
can’t attend school;
travel can be dangerous / might get injured;
86
Explain why people become infected with cholera (2)
consuming, contaminated water or food / untreated water;
(contaminated with) sewage / containing (cholera) bacteria;
87
State two other strategies for improving water quality (2)
improving sanitation;
treatment of sewage;
education campaigns / awareness;
stated example of legislation e.g. on pollution control / water quality;
88
Compare the use of antimalarial drugs and the use of mosquito nets as strategies to control malaria in Zimbabwe (5)
antimalarial drugs:
benefits:
work quickly;
stop parasite multiplying / kill parasite;
idea of protected all day / reduces number of people (getting) infected;
limitations:
expensive;
short-term fix;
not guaranteed;
side-effects;
still get bitten by mosquitos;
must be taken in advance;
lack of access to medical / limited availability for some countries;
mosquito nets:
benefits
controls vector / stops mosquito bites;
readily available;
easy to use;
can be used on door or windows;
limitations:
have to stay under them / mosquitoes can enter during entry or exit
idea of not practical to use during day
get damaged easily
89
State three sources of fresh water for people (3)
reservoirs;
lakes;
aquifers;
wells;
rivers;
desalination plants;
90
Explain how a human becomes infected with malaria (2)
bitten by (female) mosquito;
transfers the (malaria) parasite
91
State three ways individual people can protect themselves from being infected with malaria (3)
(insecticide treated) mosquito net;
use insecticide;
use mosquito repellents;
drain stagnant water;
spray (standing) water with oil;
take antimalarial drugs;
vaccination;
stay inside from dusk to dawn (to avoid being bitten);
wear, long sleeves / trousers;
92
Suggest two impacts that global warming will have on the availability of the fresh water sources shown in the diagram. Give a reason for each impact (2)
decrease in ice sheets and glaciers due to melting;
increase (in ground)water due to, ice sheets / permafrost, melting;
increase in atmosphere content due to evaporation of, surface water / groundwater;
decrease in (ground)water / water levels in rivers / lakes due to evaporation at the surface;
increase in sea levels as ice sheets / glaciers melt ;
93
Suggest the impacts of poor sanitation (5)
spread of / increase in water borne disease / illness;
named bacterial disease, e.g. typhoid, cholera;
loss of earnings / too ill to work / loss of time (to do other things);
loss of human life;
lower life expectancy;
maintains poverty/ lower living standards / conditions;
places demands on government (to improve sanitation);
94
Describe how malaria is spread from one person to another (4)
infected person bitten;
by female (anopheles) mosquito;
parasite / plasmodium, transmitted to mosquito;
mosquito acts as a vector;
mosquito bites new person;
(parasite / plasmodium) transmitted to new person;
95
Suggest a reason why some countries are not affected by malaria (1)
cooler climates / better control methods / AVP;
96
Suggest economic benefits of dams for local people.
employment;
tourism opportunities;
improved infrastructure;
reduced flooding (so less damage to farms / crops / homes);
stated economic benefit to farmers e.g. silting so no need to buy fertilisers / idea of improved or high crop yield (due to
better irrigation)
97
State how the activities shown in the photograph affect surface run-off and evaporation (2)
surface run-off:
reduced or slowed AND due to reduced gradient / less slope;
evaporation:
increased AND due to, large surface area / open to the sun;
98
Describe the benefits and limitations of the use of antimalarial drugs as a strategy for controlling malaria (3)
benefits:
easy to take;
(relatively) effective at preventing malaria;
limit transmission;
drugs cheaper than creating vaccines;
limitations:
drugs are costly / AW;
drugs are not widely available / AW;
not everyone wants to take drugs / AW;
drugs have side effects / cannot take some when pregnant / named side effect;
not 100% effective / AW;
drugs are only one strategy / drugs should be used in combination with other strategies;
malaria resistance to drugs;
99
Name and describe one strategy other than using antimalarial drugs for controlling malaria (2)
vector control;
removing standing water / draining wetlands / insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) / residual spraying;
eradication;
vaccines / widespread use of insecticides / idea of genetically modifying mosquitoes / toxic fungi;
100
Describe the benefits and limitations of using water barges to meet the demand for fresh
water (4)
benefits:
simple technology;
easy (to transport);
water can be pre-treated;
limitations:
weather dependent;
risk of contamination;
uses (fossil) fuels / energy required for transport;
transport is slow;
limited number of barges / idea of disrupted supply of barge out of service;
101
Explain how increasing the amount of land used for agriculture affects the availability of safe
drinking water (3)
agriculture is a major use of water;
finite water supplies;
if more used for agriculture, less available for people;
use of pesticides might pollute water;
fertiliser (run-off) will pollute water;
animal waste may contaminate water sources;
102
Explain how deforestation impacts the water cycle (4)
decreases evapo–transpiration;
fewer leaves of trees acting as condensation points;
no reduction in temperature allowing for condensation / precipitation;
less effect of trees, slowing wind speeds / causing clouds to move more slowly;
groundwater stores remain as not taken up by tree roots;
reduction of interception ( by plants);
reduction in infiltration rates;
run–off increases;
103
Describe two risks to human health of drinking water directly from lakes or rivers (2)
bacterial diseases such as cholera or typhoid;
contracting water-related disease / malaria / named example;
poisoning from drinking pollutants / toxic substances in the water;
104
Suggest how the availability of fresh water may change as the population of the world increases (3)
reduce due to:
greater consumption (by people) ;
(used by) industry / domestic;
pollution of water sources;
global warming / temperature rise / greater evaporation;
climate change / less rainfall / drought;
increase due to:
technological advances;
glaciers / ice sheet / permafrost melting;
105
Suggest why an increase in world population will affect access to safe drinking water (3)
more demand for
drinking;
food therefore more agriculture using water;
more, productivity / industry, therefore more water used;
more people using, showers / pools, therefore more water used;
less availability due to
more industry therefore more pollution;
more waste (sewage) therefore more pollution;
increased competition;
