Concepts

Question 1

what is a model

Answer 1

simplification of reality with essential features

no model is 100% accurate or else it would not be a model, it would be reality

Question 2

Advantages of modelling

Answer 2

• test knowledge and answer questions of physical phenomena
• integration of knowledge and disciplines
• quantification of variables
• interpretation of data
• ease of scenario analysis
• creation of projects/policies
• predictive capability

knowledge, questions, integration, quantification, interpretation, scenarios, policies, predictions

Question 3

disadvantages of modelling

Answer 3

• overparameterized

- measurability and generalizations

• may be too inaccurate
• can’t include everything
• uncertainty of predictions

Question 4

types of models

Answer 4

• empirical
• physical-based
• numerical
• analytical
• deterministic
• stochastic
• fully-distributed
• semi-distributed

Question 5

empirical based model

Answer 5

• relationships of different variables based on measurements in a specific area
• unique to specific conditions designed for
• correlational and only predict yield

includes extreme events and conditions of one specific area

Question 6

physical-process based

Answer 6

• real physical relationships based on proven physical laws
• universal and predictive
• not linked with local resources and their relationships

mostly not calibrated or validated

Question 7

numerical

Answer 7

• approximations
• good for environmental sciences because allows for uncertainties

Question 8

analytical models

Answer 8

• math that gives exact examples
• bad for earth science because there are no single right answers or solutions

Question 9

deterministic models

Answer 9

• one single solution given
• bad for es because no room for uncertainty

Question 10

stochastic

Answer 10

range of solutions given

Question 11

fully-distributed

Answer 11

• predicts variation across time and regions
• delineate water shed all the way down to grid cells
• lots of computation power required

Question 12

semi-distributed

Answer 12

• delineates watershed across topographic map into hru’s/subbasins
• delineates watershed across map, not delineates across watershed

Question 13

model selection based on what?

Answer 13

• objectives
• details and robustness
• cost (incl time)
• literature review to avoid trial and error

Question 14

importance of modelling

Answer 14

• status (state of water basin)
• trends (historical changes, seasons, etc)
• find relationships between variables
• predictions
• decisions

Question 15

SWAT

Answer 15

soil water and assessment tool
- watershed scale
- semi-distributed
- physical process based
- hydrologic but cannot simulate groundwater flow and connectivity between watersheds

Question 16

world water supply distribution

ocean vs fresh water
freshwater distribution

Answer 16

ocean: 96.5%
fresh: 2.5
- glaciers: 69%
- groundwater/aquifers: 30% (mostly permafrost and ice)
- surface/other: 1% (lakes, atmosphere, soil moisture, etc)

Question 17

renewable water

Answer 17

• 0.4% of freshwater
• snowfall, snowmelt, rainfall

Question 18

fossil water

Answer 18

• non renewable (not controlled by melt or precipitation)
• 99.6% of freshwater
• glaciers, ice, permafrost, groundwater feeding rivers

Question 19

overland processes

Answer 19

surface flow outside of a river channel
- evap, et, precip, infiltration
- surface runoff
- lateral/subsurface flow
- groundwater recharge/percolation

Question 20

T/F: there can be both fossil and renewable water in the same aquifer

Answer 20

true

Question 21

what are the boundaries of a watershed

Answer 21

highest elevation that can drain int a catchment/basin
- not governed by political borders, topographic

Question 22

what type of boundaries do transboundary rivers flow across

Answer 22

political borders

Question 23

Canada water distribution

freshwater, renewable, fossil

Answer 23

• 20% of world’s freshwater
• 7% of that is renewable
• 13% is fossil

we have large internal water availability and inflow

Question 24

Alberta water trends

Answer 24

• lowest precipitation in south and drier in south due to wter demand for economy
• most snowfall/BW along mountains
• ET is similar or higher than blue water in most river basins

Question 25

Alberta economy

Answer 25

- oil and agriculture - athabasca, and bow and oldman river basins respectively - dams and irrigation is seasonally regulated and above 80% efficiency

Question 26

water scarcity indiators and alberta

Answer 26

water distirbution varies across canada, lots gets used up in economy as opposed to iran where most is domestically consumed, how does this factor into indicators

Question 27

why should we manage our ET loss

Answer 27

60% of water resources lost to ET, but 80-90% of water for crop production is from soil moisture. If we can anage losses than we can utilize green water better and less has to be rainfed

Question 28

Water scarcity

Answer 28

no commonly accepted definition but essentially when an individual does nto have the access to enough safe ad affordable water to meet their needs

Question 29

qualifications of water scarcity depend on

Answer 29

- how needs are defined - water availability - socioeconomics

Question 30

variations in calculating water scarcity

Answer 30

- methods - models - assumptions - reliability and robustness of data - spatial/temporal resolution/variation

Question 31

disagreements on water scarcity

Answer 31

- water needed for food security - water needed to sustain natural ecosystems - whether or not the earth has enough resources to meet human and natural needs

Question 32

is water scarcity a supply or demand problem

Answer 32

both and also economic

Question 33

water scarcity indicator definition

Answer 33

how much water of a specified quality is needed vs how much is/can be made available

Question 34

water withdrawal

Answer 34

water diverted or withdrawn from a source ## Footnote doesn't always mean water gets used

Question 35

water use vs consumptive use

Answer 35

use of water by a certain sector/industry/household vs water completely removed from water resource avilability through evaporation, ET, etc

Question 36

water scarcity indicators list

Answer 36

- falkenmark - shiklomanovs (water resources vulnerability) - alcamo - physical and economic scarcity indicators - water poverty index - bos water scarcity index

Question 37

falkenmark indicator

Answer 37

water per capita 1700m3/person = good - easy to understand and data is available - doesn't account for temporal changes, assumes all water will be used domestically, generic and not local

Question 38

shiklomanov | water resources vulnerability index

Answer 38

annual withdrawal (of ag, indust, and domestic)/total available water - if above 20-40% = bad

Question 39

alcamo's index

Answer 39

withdrawal/total renewable water - doesn't account for what can be made available and what can be recycled

Question 40

physical and aconomic scarcity indicator

Answer 40

supply of what is and can be made available demand for consumptive use - differentiates between economic and physical water scarcity

Question 41

water poverty index

Answer 41

5 dimensions - access to water - water quality, quantity, variability - water uses - water management - environmental aspects good for small scale, not global and complex and not easy for public understanding

Question 42

bos water scarcity index

Answer 42

total outflow/total inflow - if B index is below .2 = bad, .1 is worse - thresholds are bad - only addresses surface water

Question 43

overall index limitations

Answer 43

- only consider blue water - no suffiecient consideration to spatial and temporal variations - all relative ## Footnote green water is main source of food production in most countries