SUMMARY CHAPTER 4

4.1 The distribution of water on Earth

 Without water= NO LIFE ON EARTH

 Without supply of fresh water= no plants
and animals
 Major stores:
 Ice sheets/ polar ice caps/ glaciers
 Underground in spaces in
permeable rocks.
 Oceans cover 71% of the surface
 Oceans and sea contain 97% of all the water
 3% of water is fresh water (the water we
drink)
 Most of fresh water is stored frozen in ice
sheets.
 Average= a person used 1.5 million litres per
year
 Most of the water is not suitable for
drinking

1. Most of the freshwater is inaccessible because it is locked up in ice caps and glaciers (79%) or as ground water
(water stored in rocks, 20%).
2. This means that 1% of fresh water is accessible in lakes, rivers and the atmosphere. Also, some is found in the
soil and living organisms.
3. Plants take up the soil moisture, which then becomes available to animals eating the plants. In desert areas,
animals never drink but rely on plants for their water supply
4. The vegetation slows the rate at which it reaches the land surface.
5. Little or no vegetation leads to run-off = Rivers will receive the water more quickly = flooding.
6. Surface water may not remain long enough to allow evaporation.

4.2 The water cycle

The ice in a glacier may melt and become liquid water. It may then enter a river that flows into a lake. With the warmth
of the Sun on the lake, water may evaporate and become vapour. This vapour can then rise into the sky, condense and
form clouds. Under certain circumstances, the water in these clouds will fall as rain or snow, called precipitation. It may
then enter the soil and be taken up by the roots of plant, to be transported up the plant in the transpiration stream. This
movement is driven by the loss of water from the plant in the process of transpiration. Other possibilities are that that it
will flow along the ground in a process called surface run-off, be trapped by the leaves of plants, a process called
interception, or enter the ground by infiltration and then become part of groundwater flow (if it flows through rocks) or
through flow (if it flows through soil).

 Evaporation: the process in which liquid water turns into vapour, the opposite of condensation
 Condensation: the process in which water vapour turns in to liquid water, the opposite of evaporation

 Precipitation: the process in which liquid water (as rain) or ice particles (as snow or hail) fall to Earth due to
gravity Transpiration: the movement of water up plants and its subsequent loss as water vapour from their
leaves
 Surface run-off: the process by which water runs over the ground into rivers
  Interception: the process by which precipitation is stopped from reaching the ground surface by the presence of
trees and other plants
 Infiltration: the process by which water seeps into the ground
 Groundwater flow: the process by which infiltrated water flows through rocks
 Through flow: the process by which infiltrated water flows through the soil
LEARN DIAGRAM PAGE 91

4.3 Why humans need water

Domestic: Drinking and cooking (3% of the domestic use; about 10% of total water use)

 Develop countries (Use + water= + industries): 50% of the domestic water is used for washing and flushing the
toilet; 20% washing clothes. They don’t care about the water waste.
 Developing countries (use – water): less waste of water in washing, flushing and cooking. Use most water for
agriculture as they have little industry.

Industrial: cooling in the production of electricity and as a universal solvent (about 20% of total water use)

Agricultural (about 70% of total water use): mainly for irrigation because the plants need water to transport minerals
and food, to keep their cells rigid and to combine with carbon dioxide to make food in photosynthesis= a reliable supply
of water will be needed.

4.4 The main sources of fresh water for human use

 Surface water= lakes, rivers and swamps.

 More water in the ground, soil and rocks under the surface= groundwater
 Aquifer= water stored in porous rocks under the ground
 When there is insufficient water is present from both surface water and groundwater source, they use salt water
from the sea. This water is made potable for human use by removing the salt by a desalination plant.
Waste from rivers

 Water can be taken from rivers by simply dipping a bucket into it.
 Nationals projects= construction of a reservoir. A reservoir may be created behind a dam or by the side of the
river, forming a large store of water= this water is not safe but it can be treated to make it potable.
 Types of reservoir= service reservoir, like the water towers or the cisterns which are treated and therefore
potable for use.
Water from the ground

 Water that infiltrates= accumulate in porous rocks.

 Aquifers fulfil a very significant proportion of human water needs
 To obtain the water they sin wells into the aquifers. It can be dug by hand or by machinery. Aquifers may be
accessed by springs and wells. Dams are built to make reservoirs to store water. The water table is the level of
water contained in the rock or soil.
 Well: a hole dug into rock to reach the water stored there.
 If the water in the aquifer is not under pressure, it has to be raised to the top of the well= lowering a bucket on a
rope or with a hand-operated pump= more used in LEDCs
 In MEDCs= used motor-driven pumps
 If the aquifer is under pressure= Artesian aquifer. Water sunk in the artesian will rise to the surface without the
need of a pump.
Water from the sea

 To make the salt water potable it has to be removed in a process called desalination.
  97% is salt water from the ocean= CANNOT BE DRUNK= cause health problems and death.
 Two processes to make salt water potable:
 Distillation: the water is boiled and released as vapour, leaving the salt behind, and then the vapour
condensed as liquid water and ca be used. = Large quantities of waste= source of pollution because a lot
of energy is needed for this process= this method is mainly found in energy-rich countries.
 Reverse osmosis: the purification of water by pumping it at high pressure through a fine membrane=
use less energy than distillation.

4.5 Availability of safe drinking water around the world

 Country’s water wealth= amount of rain it receives and depends on the ability of a country to distribute the
water available
 PHYSICAL WATER SCARCITY = lack of water because the is low rainfall and/ or high levels of evaporation
 ECONOMIC WATER SCARCITY= there is enough water available but the money does not exist to extract and/ or
treat enough of it for human needs.
 Just because there's water doesn't mean it's potable
 Water potable: this processes are not available for everyone
1. Sanitation systems, which ensure that dirty water does not mix with water intended for human use.
2. Water- treatment processes, which ensure that the water supplied to people is safe to drink.
 Developed countries have money to:
1. Build reservoirs
2. Treat water so that it is potable
3. Pipe water to their towns/villages/ cities in the countryside
 Developing countries:
1. Villagers may only have a well to supply their water
2. Villagers may walk long distances to fetch water
3. May only be able to supply piped water to towns and cities
 Rural and urban areas:
 Towns and cities = sewage treatment can be provided, taking the sewage to a treatment works.
 Rural areas = long distances, sewage system is too costly (developing countries)
 In the cities and towns more people have access to clean water and sanitation than in rural areas.
 Urban areas:
1. More wealth and wealthy people in cities
2. People can pressure on the politicians to provide safe water
3. It is cheaper to install piped water when many people live close together than in s scattered
rural community.
 Differences in the availability of water= water wars
 Water conflicts between countries: because some countries take more water from the aquifers each
year than is naturally replaced by precipitation. This reduce the size of the groundwater
reserves=UNSUSTAINABLE
 Water insecurity= Many water-poor countries depend at the mercy of their neighbors in order to have
water. = if it is contaminated= THEY DON’T HAVE POTABLE WATER.

4.6Multipurpose dam projects

 The construction of a dam across a river can be very expensive and controversial project, but the benefits are
great. Countries with suitable sites for dams may use them to store water and to generate electricity.
 A dam may help with: ADVANTAGES
 The generation of electricity in hydroelectric power plants
 Flood control
 Irrigation
  Tourism and leisure
 The provision of water
 Creation of habitat for wetland species
 Access by boat to otherwise inaccessible areas.
 DISADVANTAGES
 Relocating people
 Flooding land
 Disrupting the life cycles of fish and other aquatic organisms.
 Altering the water supply for people downstream, of the dam
 Reducing the enrichment of soil downstream of the dam
 The dam may become redundant as sediment in the river sinks to the bottom of the reservoir.
Where to build a dam

 Detailed study of many factors:

1. Steep-sided valley with narrow area suitable for dam (a wider valley + costly than a dam)
2. A dam needs to be quite high up a valley if it is to be successful at producing hydroelectric power= +
higher=+ pressure on the water= + potential energy
3. Dams should be sited away from develop areas to reduce the risk of pollution in the reservoir.
 The choice of site is necessary to discuss the relocation and compensation with the local people and cover the
cost of repair and restoration (EIA)
 Factors to consider: economic factors, social damage and cost compared with benefits.
Are dams sustainable?

 Problems in long term= NOT SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

 The reservoir can become silted due to the material carried into the rivers
 The dam under pressure can deteriorate and fail
 Negative effects on the surrounding environment
 Dams= alternative to the burning of fossil fuels
 Dams produce electricity without producing greenhouse gases and pollutants.
Main Causes of water pollution

1. Agriculture (P & N: Animal manure, chemical pesticides and fertilizers)

2. Domestic Waste (Human waste containing pathogenic microorganisms, detergents, metals, traces of toxic
chemicals)
3. Industry: industrial processing of metal ores, metal using industries.