What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?
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What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?
Only 2.5% of the water on Earth is freshwater.
What are the three main sources of water supply for human use?
The three main sources of water supply for human use are:
Lakes and rivers.
Aquifers.
Reservoirs.
Define aquifer.
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, rock fractures or unconsolidated materials.
What is desalination?
Desalination is the removal of salt from sea water to make it usable for domestic, agricultural and industrial purposes.
What percentage of global water use is for agriculture?
Approximately, 70% of global water use is for agriculture.
True or False?
Water demand is higher in MEDCs than LEDCs.
True.
Water demand is higher in MEDCs than LEDCs.
What is the largest use of water in MEDCs?
The largest use of water in MEDCs tends to be industry.
What is the main use of water in LEDCs?
The main use of water in LEDCs is agriculture.
What are two reasons for higher water demand in MEDCs?
Reasons for higher water demand in MEDCs include:
Improved living standards.
Increased use of water in leisure and tourism.
Increased urbanisation.
Increasing industry.
Increased use in agriculture for livestock.
Define over abstraction.
Over-abstraction is when too much water is taken from a water source. In some areas, this means that aquifers do not have time to recharge through precipitation.
What is water deficit?
Water deficit is when the demand for water exceeds the available supply in a given area.
What are two main causes of water deficit?
The main causes of water deficit are:
Low supply (e.g., lack of precipitation).
High demand (e.g., increasing population).
Or a combination of both low supply and high demand.
Define water stress.
Water stress occurs when the supply of water is below 1 700 m³ per person per year.
What is water scarcity?
Water scarcity is when the supply of water is below 1 000 m³ per person per year.
What are the two types of water scarcity?
The two types of water scarcity are physical water scarcity and economic water scarcity.
True or False?
The UN Millennium Development Goal for access to clean water was fully met by 2015.
False.
The UN Millennium Development Goal for access to clean water was not fully met by 2015, although access to clean water has improved.
What percentage of the world population had access to clean water supplies in 2020?
In 2020, 74% of the world population had access to clean water supplies.
Name three impacts of water shortages.
Impacts of water shortage include:
Death and illness due to water-borne diseases.
Potential for conflicts over water supply.
Children missing school to collect water.
Lack of food.
Damaged ecosystems.
Reduced economic development.
What is drip irrigation?
Drip irrigation is a water-saving method that delivers water directly to the roots of plants, reducing water loss due to evaporation.
Name two appropriate technologies for managing water in LEDCs.
Appropriate technologies for managing water in LEDCs include:
Wells.
Gravity-fed systems.
Boreholes use a hand pump to bring water to the surface.
Rainwater collection from roofs.
Drip irrigation.
Drought-resistant crops.
How much of the available water is used for agriculture in south-east Spain?
In south-east Spain agriculture uses 80% of the water available.
What is the name of the Spanish water transfer project completed in 1978?
The name of the Spanish water transfer project completed in 1978 is the Tagus-Segura Project.