Water Use and Management

Water- essential for all living processes: dissolves nutrients and distributes them to cells, regulates body temperature, supports structures, and removes waste products; 60% of our _______ is water and 70% of the world's ________ is covered in it.

Hydrologic Cycle

The hydrologic cycle- the circulation of water as it ____________ from land, water, and plants, enters the atmosphere, ___________ and precipitates to the earth's surfaces. It then moves underground by _____________ or overland by runoff into rivers lakes and seas: Allows for a fresh supply of water, maintains a habitable climate and moderates world temperatures. Plants help add water vapor to the air through ___________.

• Saturation point= when a volume of air contains the most water vapor it can at a given temperature
  
• Condensation= when saturation point is exceeded and water molecules begin to aggregate
  
• _______ point= the temperature at which condensation (dew!) occurs
  
• Cloud= accumulation of condensed water vapor in droplets or ice crystals
• Run off is increased with _______, deforestation, and ________ development

Major Water Compartments

Water Reservoir- A place where water is stored for some period of time. Fresh and salt.

Salt Water

A. Oceans-

• _______ make up 86% of evaporation, 90% water returns directly to the ocean through rain: the other ten percent is carried onto the continents- once there some is incorporated into plants and animals, the rest seeps into the underground but all eventually returns to the ______.
  
• Oceans= contain 90% of all bio mass and ______% of all the liquid in the world.
• Salinity is measured in parts per ___________ (ppt). Ocean is roughly 35 ppt.
• ____________ time= that length of time an individual molecule spends circulating in the ocean before evaporation, on average its ________ years
  

Ocean Circulation of Water

• The "ocean conveyer belt" roughly follows prevailing wind patterns.
• Differences in water temperature, density and _________ also cause circulation. Gyres cause the warm temperatures from the equator to redistribute to the poles. Ex. Gulf stream
• Its moderate the global temperature- warm water flows from tropics to poles and vice versa

FRESh Water

B. Glaciers, Ice and Snow

• Glaciers hold almost ______% of the earth's freshwater. These frozen rivers slowly move downhill.
• Antarctic glaciers contain 85% of all the ice in the world. However unless the glaciers _____ the water is hard to access for our use!

C. Groundwater- water beneath the surface fills spaces, cracks and pores.

• Ground water= holds the second largest amount of ______ water
  
  • Being consumed faster than recharged (called groundwater mining)!
• Soil porosity- amount of open space in the soil. Soil permeability- the ______ that water moves through the soil (infiltration).
• Zone of ____________= upper soil layers that hold both air and water, moisture for plant growth comes from here. The depth varies.
  
• Zone of _____________= lower levels where all soil air spaces are filled with water. The top of the zone is called the ________ table and it is neither flat nor stationary.
• Aquifers: _________ layers of sand etc. below water table. ex. Ogallala Aquifer
  
• Confined aquifers: aquifers that lay beneath ____________ matter such as clay and shale. Water under pressure can rise up ABOVE the aquifer.

D. Rivers, Lakes

• Topography that dips ________ the water table can result in rivers, lakes or swamps

Water Consumption

• Amount of water withdrawn or lost due to human use. Some of the major water scarce countries are Egypt, Kenya, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Netherlands, Morocco and Sudan.

Domestic

• :0) Our biggest domestic water use is _______ flushing!! eeeew.
  • In America we use about 13,000 gallons of drinking quality water annually to flush toilets.
• Other major water issues include building and construction sites that pollute water due to loose sediment run off, septic systems, landfills and ____________.

Agricultural

• Agricultural water use is huge and too many farmers irrigate wastefully. Pesticides and ___________ poison water downstream.

Industrial

• Industrial water use may produce wastewater with hazardous chemicals.

WATER MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION

• Goal: prevent _______ damage and store water for future use instead of building dams and reservoirs.
  
  • Conserving wetlands and forests help preserve natural water storage capacities and aquifer recharge zones.
• Watershed- also known as a "catchment" or drainage basin is all the land drained by a stream or river.
  • The __________ is the boundary between two watersheds. Retaining ____________ in watersheds help hold back rainwater and decrease downstream floods.

Droughts used to occur in the US on a thirty year cycle on average. Now all bets are off.

DOMESTIC CONSERVATION

How can we help stop water shortages?

• Take shorter ________!! Stop leaks!! Efficiently wash your cars, dishes, and clothes!!! What about appliances? Use _____-volume showerheads, water saving toliets and efficient dishwashers and washing machines!!
• If you plant native ground cover in a "natural lawn" or make a rock garden, landscape in harmony with the surrounding environment- xeriscaping (choosing plants that require little _________) can be great instead of constantly watering and feeding a dry, arid garden.***
  
• Wastewater can be treated and reclaimed for ___________ and toilet flushing.
• Some homes are set up to recycle their dishwater and shower water (called _______ water) for toilets.

Agricultural water CONSERVATION

• In 3rd world countries _______% of all the agricultural water used is lost to leaks in irrigation canals, application to areas where plants don't grow, runoff, and evaporation.
• Farmers have been starting to use new farming techniques such as leaving crop residue on fields and ground cover on drainage ways, using _________, and lining irrigation canals in order to reduce water losses.
  
• Drip _________= AWESOME! It applies water ________ to plant ________, but its very expensive. Used on only 1% of farmland worldwide.
  
• Desalinization of water is _____________ .

industrial water CONSERVATION

• Dry coolings systems can replace water used for engine or turbine cooling.

PRICE MECHANISMS AND WATER POLICY

• In the past, water policies have been against conservation.
• Some parts of the US were based on riparian use rights= people who lived near a ________ could use as much as they wanted as long as they didn't taint its quality or the limit others who wanted to access to the water down stream.
• In many places, like ________, water used to be very cheap.
  • People didn't have any incentive to repair leaks, or restrict usage.
  • The _________ of 1988 changed all of these practices...
    
• The US is currently saving 38 million gallons a day compared to per capita rates 20 yrs ago.
  • However, we have 10% less water because of the growing population!
    
• The solution: Charging higher proportion of ________ to users of public water projects~~~> encourages conservation!