Water Scarcity

Question 1

What is water scarcity?

Answer 1

When the demand for clean fresh drinking water exceeds available supply

Question 2

What are the three main ways of measuring water scarcity?

Answer 2

Absolute scarcity
Physical scarcity
Economic scarcity

Question 3

What is absolute scarcity?

Answer 3

Water supply <1000m*3 per person per year

Question 4

What does demand depend upon?

Answer 4

Climate
Economic growth
Life styles

Question 5

What is water stress?

Answer 5

When more than 40% of a country’s river flows are being used

Question 6

What is water scarcity in terms of river flow?

Answer 6

More than 75% of a country’s river flows Rae being used

Question 7

What is physical water scarcity?

Answer 7

When a country is using nearly all of its blue water with little spare

Question 8

What is economic water scarcity?

Answer 8

when the development of the water resources is limited by human and financial capacities
cant afford to access water

Question 9

what is an example economic water scarcity?

Answer 9

1 billion people in LEDCs use less than 25% of river flows and as a result are short of clean water

Question 10

what are some causes of insecurity?

Answer 10

physical (climate variability)
human (water contamination from industry or agriculture, over absraction)

Question 11

howmuch water does our agricultural water supply use?

Answer 11

uses 74% of the worlds water supply

Question 12

why is irrigation wasteful?

Answer 12

water usually lost via transpiration and run-off making reuse impossible

Question 13

what agricultural pollution can reduce river quality?

Answer 13

pesticides
fertilisers

Question 14

how much water does industry use?

Answer 14

18% of the global water supply
more effcient than agriculture and water can be recycled

Question 15

how much water do domestic sectors use?

Answer 15

8% of global supply
huge variations between countries
most rapidly growing sector

Question 16

what % of the worlds freshwater does India have?

Answer 16

4%

Question 17

what % of the world popualtion does India have?

Answer 17

16%

Question 18

what happned to India in 2020? (Water)

Answer 18

demand exceeded supply in 2020 and water tables are falling rapidly

Question 19

why has demand exceeded supply in India?

Answer 19

increasing population levels
issues of increasing industrialisation (coca cola)

Question 20

what % of the worlds freshwater does china have?

Answer 20

8%

Question 21

what % of the worlds populaiton does china have?

Answer 21

22%

Question 22

what % of chinese cities do not have enough water all year round?

Answer 22

66%

Question 23

what do china have to do for cities that dont have enough water year round?

Answer 23

they have to transport water in

Question 24

what % of china’s freshwater is contaminated by heavy metals?

Answer 24

60%

Question 25

what has the contamination of freshwater with heavy metals meant for china?

Answer 25

rates of liver = stomach cancer more than double that of the rest of the world

Question 26

how much industrial waste does the worlds create each year?

Answer 26

400 billion tonnes

Question 27

what sort of heavy metals are most likley to end up in rivers?

Answer 27

lead
cadmium
mercury

Question 28

what does the addition of heavy metals to rivers affect?

Answer 28

reduces water quality affecting native species

Question 29

what is abstraction?

Answer 29

removal of water from rivers and ground water sources

Question 30

what is the problem with global absraction of water?

Answer 30

absracted from aquifers faster than it can be replaced

Question 31

what areas are aquifers very unlikely to be recharged?

Answer 31

in arid areas (california)

Question 32

what are the demands for water in california?

Answer 32

40 milllion people (10% of water usage)
80% of californias water is used for growing crops + farming animals

Question 33

what is californias biggest export?

Answer 33

Almonds

Question 34

what is the problem with almonds as an export?

Answer 34

very thirsty crop ( uses 10% of californias water)

Question 35

where does most precipitation occur in california?

Answer 35

occurs in the mountains of the north - 1360mm/yr

Question 36

what supply vs demand problem does california face?

Answer 36

supply 75% in the north where only 20% of population live

Question 37

how much does californias supply vary?

Answer 37

40%

Question 38

why does californias supply of water vary?

Answer 38

depends on the weather
highly vulnerable to climate change

Question 39

when did the mega drought occur in california?

Answer 39

2000-2022
22 years

Question 40

what % are reseviors at compared to usual? (California)

Answer 40

25% capacity

Question 41

How much snowmelt is there compared to normal in california?

Answer 41

38%

Question 42

what is the reduced snowmelt caused by in California?

Answer 42

La Nina

Question 43

what is california an example of?

Answer 43

a rich area that is still understress

Question 44

what is salt water intrusion?

Answer 44

the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers

Question 45

what has a higher density sea water or freshwater?

Answer 45

sea water as it carries salt

Question 46

how does saltwater incursion occur?

Answer 46

• when freshwater is withdrawn faster than it can be replaced the water table is drawn dwn
• reducing pressure
• if this happens near coastal areas saltwater from the ocean is pulled into the freshwater aquifer