Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use

1. Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use

2. Warm-up • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35yeVwigQcc

3. The World’s Fresh Water • 9.25 trillion gallons • 69.6% - 6.44 million trillion gallons are frozen in ice sheets, glaciers, permanent snow cover and permafrost. • 30.1% - 2.78 million trillion gallons are beneath the ground in soil and aquifers. • 0.3% - 31,341 trillion gallons are in lakes, rivers, wetlands – Also includes water in plants, animals, and the atmosphere.

4. Water: A Vital Resource

5. The Water Cycle

6. D Evapotranspiration loop C I E Surface runoff loop B F Ground water loop A H G Stores and Flows in the Cycle

7. Human Impacts on the Water Cycle • Changing the Earth’s surface • Floods • Climate change • Atmospheric pollution • Withdrawing water supplies

8. Groundwater • Decreased infiltration • Increased runoff • Decreased groundwater recharge

9. Human Impacts on the Hydrologic Cycle

10. Water Uses – 2/3 used to grow food

11. MEAT • 1,857 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef • 756 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of pork • 469gallons of water to produce 1 pound of chicken

12. To raise a cow or a steer in our industrial production system… • 808,400 gallons of water for 18,700 pounds of pasture feed and hay + • 6,300 gallons for drinking + • 1,900 gallons for cleaning = 816,600 gallons used during the lifetime of the animal

13. Animal Products • 1,382gallons of water to produce 1 pound of sausage • 589 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of processed cheese • 400gallons of water to produce 1 pound of eggs • 371gallons of water to produce 1 pound of fresh cheese • 138gallons of water to produce 1 pound of yogurt

14. Fruits & Veggies 185gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of cherries 103gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of bananas 84gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of apples 78gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of grapes 55gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of oranges 33gallons of water to produce 1 lb. of strawberries

15. Common Goods • 2,900 gallons to produce 1 pair of blue jeans • 2,800gallons to produce 1 cotton bed sheet • 766gallons to produce 1 cotton T-shirt • 634gallons to produce 1 hamburger • 53gallons to produce 1 glass of milk • 37gallons to produce 1 cup of coffee • 9 gallons to produce 1 cup of tea

16. So there were 2 fish swimming in a river… … One fish runs into a concrete wall and says… DAM!!

17. Funny Dam story.

18. Dams: Disrupt Integrity of River System • Above the dam • Flooding • Sediment deposition • Loss of functional floodplain • Below the dam • Loss of normal river flow patterns • Loss of river biota • Loss of functional floodplain

19. DAM! • Dam projects have displaced up to 80 million people worldwide. • The Itaipu dam in South America cost $18 billion and took 17 years to build. • The weight of the 3 gorges reservoir tilted the Earth’s axis nearly and inch!

20. Hoover Dam – Colorado River on the border of Arizona and Nevada (Lake Mead)

21. DAM! Itaipu Dam 3 Gorges Dam

22. China’s 3 Gorges Dam

23. Consequences of Overdrawing Groundwater • Falling water tables • Diminishing surface waters (wetlands) • Land subsidence • Saltwater intrusion

24. Aquifer Exploitation • Groundwater use exceeds aquifer recharge • Many remaining aquifers are heavily polluted

25. Saltwater Intrusion

26. Using Less Water • Irrigation • Surge flow • Drip irrigation $$$$ • Municipal uses • Incentives and regulations limiting water use • Gray water

27. Desalting Seawater • Reverse osmosis • Distillation

28. National Water Policy • Promote water efficiency • Reduce or eliminate water subsidies • Charge polluters • Add watershed management to pricing of water

29. While Americans use about 100 gallons of water at home each day… • Millions of the world’s poorest subsist on fewer than 5 gallons per day. • 46% of people on Earth do not have water piped to their homes. • Women in developing countries walk and average of 3.7 miles to get water. • In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity. • 1 out of 8 people lack access to clean water • 3.3 million dies from water-related illnesses each year

30. Recreation • More Americans fish than play golf or tennis. • The U.S. recreational boating industry generated $33.6 billion in 2008. • In Florida, 3,000 gallons are used to water the grass for each golf game played. • U.S. swimming pools lose 150 billion gallons every year to evaporation.