Water quality
What does turbidity measure in water?
Turbidity measures how clear or cloudy the water is.
Name one land use that can increase sediment in rivers.
Agriculture, construction, or mining
What does "riparian vegetation" do for a waterway?
It stabilises banks, filters runoff, provides habitat, and reduces erosion.
What is erosion?
Erosion is the loss of soil by wind or water.
What does “wellbeing” mean when talking about people’s lives?
Wellbeing refers to the quality of a person’s life, including their health, happiness, education, safety, and access to basic needs.
Why is high phosphate a concern for water health?
High phosphate levels can lead to algal blooms, which reduce oxygen in the water and harm aquatic life.
How does urban development affect water quality.
Urban development increases hard surfaces like roads and buildings, which leads to more runoff. This runoff can carry pollutants such as oil, litter, and chemicals into waterways, reducing water quality and harming aquatic life.
Name a strategy used to reduce erosion around inland water.
Planting native vegetation, building rock walls, or installing sediment traps.
List three human activities that can cause land degradation.
Deforestation, overgrazing, unsustainable farming
Name one factor that can affect a person’s wellbeing.
Access to clean water, healthcare, education, or safe housing.
Why is dissolved oxygen important in freshwater ecosystems?
Dissolved oxygen is essential for the survival of aquatic organisms like fish and insects. It supports respiration and helps maintain a balanced, healthy ecosystem. Low oxygen levels can lead to fish kills and reduced biodiversity.
Describe how agricultural activities can affect water quality.
Fertilisers and pesticides can run off into water bodies, introducing pollutants and nutrients.
Explain how education campaigns help support sustainable water use.
They raise awareness about water-saving practices and encourage responsible behaviours in communities.
What is salinisation?
Salinisation is when salts build up in soil
How might the environment affect someone’s wellbeing?
Poor air or water quality, natural disasters, or lack of resources like food and clean water can negatively impact wellbeing.
Name one consequence of excess nitrates in inland water
It can cause eutrophication, which leads to algal blooms and reduced oxygen, harming fish and biodiversity.
How can deforestation near waterways lead to long-term environmental damage?
Without trees, there is increased erosion, sedimentation in rivers, loss of biodiversity, and water quality declines.
How can communities help protect inland waterways?
Communities can reduce pollution by properly disposing of waste, planting native vegetation near waterways, and participating in clean-up or conservation programs.
What impacts can erosion have on the environment?
Erosion can lead to loss of fertile topsoil, reduced agricultural productivity, sediment build-up in waterways, and destruction of habitats for plants and animals.
What is one way people measure wellbeing in different countries?
Using indicators like life expectancy, literacy rate, or income.
Explain the process of eutrophication and its impact on biodiversity
Eutrophication occurs when excess nutrients (like nitrates and phosphates) cause algae to grow rapidly. When the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria that use up oxygen, leading to oxygen depletion and loss of aquatic life.
Healthy riparian vegetation improves water quality by reducing erosion, filtering pollutants from runoff, and providing shade that helps maintain oxygen levels in the water.
Why is it important to fence off agricultural land along river banks?
Fencing off riverbanks prevents livestock from trampling vegetation and entering the water, which reduces erosion, protects riparian zones, and improves water quality by limiting contamination from animal waste and sediment runoff.
What is desertification?
Desertification is the process where fertile land becomes dry and unproductive, often due to overgrazing, deforestation, and poor land management in dry areas.
What are basic needs that all people require for a good life?
Food, clean water, shelter, healthcare, and education.