Chapter 10 Sustainable Water Issues and Sustainability Flashcards
(35 cards)
Water that infiltrated into the soil –percolates downward through the pores and fractures in soil and rocks–Stored in slowly flowing, slowly regenerated underground reservoirs called aquifers•Impermeable surfaces replenishment•Subsidence saltwater infiltration
Groundwater
•Precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere –At least not right away•Streams•Lakes•Wetlands•Reservoirs
Surface Water
begins with the evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean. As moist air is lifted, it cools and water vapor condenses to form clouds. Moisture is transported around the globe until it returns to the surface as precipitation.
hydrological cycle
is the process of a substance in a liquid state changing to a gaseous state due to an increase in temperature and/or pressure. is a fundamental part of the water cycle and is constantly occurring throughout nature.
Evaporation
Water distribition
Agriculture–41%
Industrial– 38%
Public-10%
What causes water shortages?
Unequal natural distribution compared to demand •Increasing demand–Population–Lifestyle •Groundwater overdraft •Evaporation •Drought (and climate change)
the transport of water from one region to another through pipelines and canals, to provide water to water short regions.
Water diversion
Over pumping of aquifer
Removal of vernal ponds
Wastewater recharge
Subsidence
Why water shortages?
Unequal natural distribution compared to demand Increasing demand Population Lifestyle Groundwater overdraft Evaporation Drought (and climate change)
3 major causes of ocean pollution
Sewage dumping, toxic waste and refuse dumping, oil spills
desalinization
salt resistant/drought tolerant crops
dams/aqueducts
conservation
methods of water sustainability
the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.
Problems for humans
Exposure to PCBs in womb can lead to birth defects
Mercury
Biomagnification
The flow of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms and the physical environment. Chemicals absorbed or ingested by organisms are passed through the food chain and returned to the soil, air, and water by such mechanisms as respiration, excretion, and decomposition.
Biogeochemical cycling
Depends on wind,
current, temperature,
moisture sources
Water cycling
the upper level of the zone of saturation
water table
an underground body of water that forms by the the downward movement of water through the zone of saturation filling the spaces, pores, and cracks
aquifer
the escape of water from a plant through pores in it’s leaves, draws nutrients from the soil up through the stem to the leaves
transpiration
rainfall and snowmelt that seeps down through the soil
infiltration
when water seeps from the ground surface directly above the aquifer.
unconfined aquifer
when an impermeable dirt/rock layer exists that prevents water from seeping into the aquifer from the ground surface located directly above.
confined aquifer
well from which water flows under natural pressure without pumping.
artesian well
A layer of porous material (rock or unconsolidated sediment); in an aquifer, the layer through which water freely passes as it moves through the subsurface.
permeable layer
A layer of solid material, such as rock or clay, which does not allow water to pass through.
impermeable layer
the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can lead to contamination of drinking water sources and other consequences
saltwater intrusion
