Unit 3: Water Flashcards
What is the percentage of salt water in comparison to freshwater currently?
97% = salt water 3% = fresh water
Where does freshwater derive from?
79% from ice caps and glaciers, 20% from groundwater, and 1% is easily accessible.
Where is the majority of easily accessible freshwater found?
Lakes (52%)
What are some uses of water?
- Drinking
- Agriculture
- Industries
Describe a water shed.
Water flowing from a high point, such as a mountain, to a low point, such as a lake.
How do water sheds prove year round water supply?
The accumulation of snow during the winter + slow melting of snow year-round flowing to lakes and rivers.
What is the biggest factor shifting water supply?
Climate Change.
Which region in the United States experienced heavy and long droughts, leading to extreme water shortage?
South-West.
What are three types of drought?
- Agricultural Drought: soil has little water
- Hydrological Drought: little water in reservoirs
- Meteorological Drought: lack of snow+rain
What is the bathtub effect?
Showing where water WAS compared to where it is NOW. ex. Lake Mead
3 Methods to solving Water Rights disputes?
- Executive
- Judicial
- Legislative
Which sea in the Middle East has considerably shrunk due to climate change, poor agricultural distribution, and so forth?
The Aral Sea
