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Water and the environment (Section 1) Flashcards

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1
Q

Why had stream inflow into Perths dams collapsed

A

Declined rainfall and increased evaporation

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2
Q

Where does majority of Perths drinking water come from

A

Groundwater & desalinated water

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3
Q

What are common water management issues in the world

A

Quantity: Increasing demand for potable and irrigation water (Pressure on supplies
Quality: Protection of rivers, estuaries, streams and groundwater

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4
Q

What is Quickflow

A

Rapid response of streamflow to a rainfall event

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5
Q

What is Baseflow

A

(Delayed flow) Continual flow through all conditions

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6
Q

What is direct or channel precipitation?

A

Water that falls directly on water surfaces

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7
Q

What is overland flow?

A

Water that flows over the ground surface (due to water not infiltrating into the soil)

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8
Q

Shallow sub-surface flow (Through flow)

A

Water infiltrates into soil then moves laterally through the upper horizons as
- Unsatuated flow
- saturated flow

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9
Q

Deep sub-surface flow

A

Groundwater

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10
Q

What is a aquifer

A

permeable layers
of rock and soil that hold
water

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11
Q

what is a piezometer

A

Measures pressure in groundwater system

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12
Q

Potentiometric

A

surface elevation to which groundwater rises

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13
Q

perched groundwater

A

unconfined groundwater that lies above main groundwater

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14
Q

What are some things that affect groundwater storage recharge

A
  • infilltration of rain below root zone
  • seepage from lakes and rivers
  • leakage from adjacent aquifers
  • Human induced irrigation, injection wells
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15
Q

What are some things that affect groundwater storage discharge

A
  • Evaporation
  • Springs & oases
  • Leakage into adjacent aquifers
  • Human induced abstraction
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16
Q

Some issues that affect groundwater sustainability

A

Contamination: Nutrients, pesticides, salinity
Sustainable yield: Loss of wetland, groundwater dependent ecosystem ,
Saline water infusion, Acid sulphate soils and acidification, cost of pumping and recovery

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17
Q

How and why does groundwater move

A

Moves from areas of Recharge to Discharge.
Due to: Chemical gradients (Movement from dilute to concentrated solutions)
Hydraulic gradients (Most common)

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18
Q

How does Rainfall reach groundwater

A

Via soil and macropores

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19
Q

Difference between rivers and wetlands

A

Rivers are uni-directional and maintaining their flow is of great importance; Wetlands are stagnant and protection of their groundwater is important

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20
Q

Gnangara

A

60% of Perths Groundwater storage

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21
Q

Challenges for Perths water sustainability management

A

Perth’s water demand is rising, and our climate is drying, stream inflow into Perth’s dams has collapsed

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22
Q

What is a stabilization or a “Princeton” Wedges

A

Money taken from climate change,
used to Stabilize CO2 emissions,
Use range of available tools

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23
Q

How do you manage water demand?

A
  1. Use water efficiency
  2. alternate water supplies
  3. Water restriction
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24
Q

Water regulations

A
  • No watering on set days
  • No watering during day
  • hand watering only
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25
How to manage water supply?
Develop new solutions; - Groundwater - Surface water - Desalination - Water recycling - Water trading - Fix existing sources
26
Examples of stopping evaporation and (cloud seeding)
(Evaporation loses 27 GL/year) - Chemical barriers - Floating barriers - Drop water into groundwater
27
Example of water supply being fixed
Denmark was having difficulties with the salination of the river (it was becoming undrinkable) so in the 90-2010s they planted a-lot of trees and this reversed the affect.
28
definition of Rivers & Wetlands
Rivers: a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river. Wetlands: are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season.
29
Threats to rivers & wetlands
* Flow regulation & groundwater extraction * Clearing * Sedimentation * Salinisation * Urbanization * Pollution
30
Management for Rivers and wetlands
* Maintaining/restoring flow regimes * Restoring riparian vegetation * Catchment management: to control salinity and nutrients * Removing barriers to enable fish migration
31
Example for decline of river flow
"Murry darling basin experienced decline in river flow following imigration of european settles in Australia"
32
Characteristics of Rivers
Unidirectional flow * Strong connections to catchment/ riparian zone * Strong dependence on substratum in upper reaches * Ecosystem function dependent on position in catchment * Upland v. lowland rivers – different ecosystem function
33
Charateristics of wetlands
- Dependent on groundwater, run-ff or river-flow - Strong connections to catchments - Ecosystem Function Dependent on depth - Biodiversity strongly related to habitat complexity - Shallow wetlands vs deep lakes (different ecosystem function)
34
Characteristics of deep lakes
- Deeper than euphotic zone - Have three orgins: Glaciation, tectonics & vulcanism
35
Charateristics of Shallow lakes
- Euphotic zone extends to the bed
36
Euphotic zone vs Profundal zone
Euphotic: Sunlight and main source of productivity Profundal: Below euphotic & Survives of euphotic zone
37
Water quality parameters
* Colour * Turbidity * Conductivity * Dissolved Oxygen * Temperature * pH * Nutrients - Nitrogen and Phosphorus * Chlorophyll a
38
Water quality ecological vs non-ecological
Ecological: as part of the process. Scenario process + evaluation: standard process Non-ecological: uses such as irrigation + stock-watering, domestic, recreation, industrial.
39
Common effect of eutrophication
Occasionally, algae can grow very fast or ‘bloom’ into thick, visible patches near the surface of the water. Blooms occur naturally, but excessive nutrients and certain environmental conditions can cause larger growth.
40
Fringing vegetation
Emergent bushes and shrubs trees around water bodies, habitat for birds & spiders
41
Four major Australian ocean currents
- East Australian curent - Indonesian through-flow - Leeuwin current - Antarctic Circumpolar current
42
Example of great fishery in WA
Western Australia Rock Lobster (Heavily affected by Leeuwin current)
43
Characteristics of leeuwin current
*Shallow * Warm * Low salinity * Nutrient-poor waters
44
What is the biggest ocean
Pacific (30.5%)
45
Earths fresh to salt water distribution
97: salt 3: fresh
46
What is usually the salinity of sea water
35g/L
47
How far of coast is a countries Economic zone
200 nauticle miles
48
Continental shelf
Actual outer coast of a continent (Shallow areas around land)
49
Temperature depends on..
Latitude of area; due to radiation zone
50
How do we measure salinity
Through the water column (CTD)
51
External forces that drive ocean currents
* Wind * solar radiation (Density & pressure) * Gravity * Atmospheric pressure
52
Secondary forces that drive ocean currents
* Rotation of earth * Viscous forces * Topography
53
How is ocean circulation driven?
Shallow waters: Driven by wind Deep waters: Driven by density of water (Temperature & salinity)
54
How does Ocean conveyor belt & Currents affect land climate
* Many variables that affect ocean currents, such as wind & atmospheric pressure also affect climate * Ocean conveyor belt circulates warm & cold water, providing land with cooler/warmer temperatures * Example Gulf Stream: Makes Europe 5 degrees warmer (directly affected by ocea conveyor belt)
55
Way to monitor ocean
* CTD measures salinity & Temp * Argo floats Salinity & Temp * Underwater observatories (Geo-physics) * Satellites
56
Definition of estuary
A semi-enclosed body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water is measurably diluted with fresh water derived from land drainage
57
Two common problems for estuaries
* Can become disconnected from the sea * Can become hypersaline
58
How do estuaries get disconnected from the sea
Sand bar build up, low tidal range, highly-seasonal rainfall, along & on shore sediment transport
59
Biological importance of estuaries:
High productivity (Phytoplankton, seagreasses, salt marshes, mangroves) , Feeding grounds, Nursery areas
60
Issues facing estuaries
Proximal issues: Urban development, port development, bank stabilization Catchment issues: water extraction by dams, salinisation of catchments, nutrient run-off, erosion
61
Groundwater constitutes what percentage of all fresh water on Earth?
94%
62
In reference to rivers and wetlands of international significance, which two pieces of legislation allow the Australian Federal Government to intervene in their management?
EPBC act, RAMSAR convention
63
Ephemeral streams are best identified by which 3 features?
* Consist solely of quickflow * no permanent streamline * mainly occur in arid/semi arid areas
64
Example of PO estuary
Peel-Harvey
65
Example of a IO estuary
Vasse-Wonnerup
66
Example of a SO estuary
Broke Inlet
67
Example of a NC estuary
Stokes Inlet
68
An example of artificially opening an estuary
Wilson Inlet in Denmark
69
Globally what percentage of precipitation becomes runoff?
36%
70
Which two factors have contributed most to the reduction of flow into Perth’s dams?
Reduced rainfall, over extraction of groundwater from feeder catchments
71
What is a disadvantage of groynes along a coastline?
They create problems elsewhere.
72
4 types of estuaries
- Riverine estuaries: narrow - inter-barrier estuaries: lagoons - basin estuaries: depressions ( peel Harvey) - valley estuaries: drowned valleys

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