The Water cycle
The process where water vapor cools down and turns into liquid droplets.
What is Condensation?
How much saltwater is on Earth?
97.5% of Earth’s water is saltwater.
Which countries face the most difficulties with water security?
Low income countries face the most difficulties.
What is Water Insecurity?
The lack of adequate clean water that is used to meet the needs of a population.
How does water insecurity affect crops?
Lack of water reduces food production.
Water falling from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, and hail.
What is Precipitation?
How much fresh water is on Earth?
Only 2.5% of water.
Why is water security important?
Ensures clean drinking water, sanitation, and food productions.
How does natural disasters cause water insecurity?
Floods can contaminate water supplies and droughts reduce the water availability.
Contaminated water can lead to many illnesses if consumed. What are the two waterborne diseases caused by drinking contaminated water?
Cholera and dysentery.
The process where water on the Earth’s surface soaks into the ground.
What is infiltration?
How much freshwater do we have access to?
less than 1% of freshwater.
What is Water Insecurity?
The ability to access sufficient clean water for food, manufacturing, and healthcare.
How does a population mismanage their own water?
by using more than they need, pollution, or over extraction.
How does water insecurity contribute to malnutrition?
Water shortages can lead to hunger and starvation due to not being able to keep crops alive.
The release of water vapor from plants into the atmosphere.
What is Transpiration?
Where is most of Earth’s freshwater located in?
Glaciers, ice caps, groundwater, and surface waters (rivers and lakes).
These areas often struggle with access to safe drinking water.
How does population growth affect water availability?
A region having a growing population = Higher demand for water, urbanization, and deforestation.
How do droughts affect a population’s water security?
Droughts can affect the affect the water availability that a country has. The water availability makes it harder for populations to use an adequate amount of water to meet their needs.
The horizontal movement of water through the soil.
What is Through-flow?
Why do we have limited access to freshwater?
Define the term.
Poor irrigation practices lead to salt buildup and wasted water.
Salinization.
Though farmers have various types of access to water, why do farmers tend to suffer the most when it comes to safe drinking water?
Because of lack of infrastructure, less technology, less sanitation, and due to their dependence of small scaled water systems, farmers have difficulties when it comes to water.
How does urban vs. rural access to drinking water differ?
Urban areas often have better water infrastructure than rural areas.