Hydrosphere Flashcards
what is a Watershed?
a Watershed is a and area draining to a common outlet
all of the water within a watershed drains to a specific point.
Water Footprint
A measurement of how much fresh water is used to create the goods and services used by an individual (litres per year)
Direct Water
freshwater consumption of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, watering garden etc.
Indirect Water = opposite
Blue Water
Fresh surface and groundwater (i.e. water in freshwater lakes, rivers and aquifers)
green
The precipitation on land that does not run off or recharge the groundwater but is stored in the soil or temporarily stays on top of the soil or vegetation
grey
Waste water created by households or businesses that does not include raw sewage
Black Water
Waste water containing feces, urine etc. usually coming from toilets
Water Scarcity
A shortage of clean, safe water, often made worse by environmental degradation, climate change, competition for natural resources, and poverty
Physical Water Scarcity
physical water scarcity is the situation when there is not enough water to meet all demands, such as those required by an ecosystem to function effectively.
Economic Scarcity
Caused by a lack of investment in water infrastructure or insufficient human capacity to satisfy the demand of water in areas where the population cannot afford to use an adequate source of water.
What are the Major Steps to Water Treatment?
- Primary Treatment
- Secondary Treatment
- Tertiary Treatment
storm water
Stormwater is water from rain, snow, and ice that for a variety of reasons doesn’t get absorbed into the ground. Usually due to concrete or pavement preventing it from reaching the dirt underneath. This water is released into ponds, rivers and other bodies of water through storm drains and ditches connected to pipes. This water, unlike dirty water from homes or industries, is not cleaned or filtered, it is transported directly to rivers, lakes etc.
waste water
Water from homes and industries flows through pipes to a sewer, where it flows to a water treatment plant to have solids removed from it and be filtered. Once it is done being treated, it is transported to a body of water just as the stormwater was.
What was the primary cause of the Walkerton tragedy?
Heavy rains combined with ill-maintained wells (one of which did not have chlorine) could not handle the mass influx of water, resulting in 7 deaths from E Coli and half the city becoming sick. People had kidney issues and needed transplants.
what layer of the earth is made of liquid iron and nickel?
The outer core
