Core Case Study
Core Case Study
Summarize the importance of the Colorado River basin in the United States and how human activities are stressing this system.
Define freshwater.
Explain why access to water is a health issue, an economic issue, a national issue and global security issue, and an environmental issue.
What percentage of the earth’s freshwater is available to us?
Define groundwater, zone of saturation, water table, and aquifer. Explain how aquifers are recharged.
What is reliable surface runoff? What percentage of the world’s reliable runoff are we using and what percentage are we likely to be using by 2025?
Define water footprint. What accounts for most of humanity’s water footprint?
Define virtual water and give 3 examples of it.
In the U.S., what are the major uses of groundwater and surface freshwater?
What are the main factors that cause water scarcity in any particular area?
What areas of the world currently face stress from freshwater scarcity? What area is likely to face stress by 2050?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of withdrawing groundwater?
What is the world’s largest aquifer and where is it located in the U.S.? How much groundwater does it supply? What has contributed to its unsustainable use?
What are 2 problems that result from overpumping aquifers.
Tapping into deep aquifers may be a future source of freshwater. What are the concerns with doing this? What do you think about this possibility?
What are the main goals of a dam-and-reservoir system?
What are the pros/cons of using dams/reservoirs?
What has happened to water flows in the Colorado River since 1960? Explain how the damming of this river has affected its delta? List 3 possible solutions to the supply problems in the Colorado River basin.
What is a water transfer?
Describe two large water-transfer programs, explain how they came about, and summarize the controversy around each of these programs.
What is desalination?
Describe the 2 most widely used methods for desalination.
How much of the world’s freshwater demand is met with desalination?
What are 3 major problems associated with salination?
Describe 2 inefficient irrigation methods. How much water is lost for each of these methods?
Describe 2 efficient irrigation methods. How much water reaches the crops with these methods?
Read pages 338-341. What are 5 ways we can reduce and/or be more efficient in our water usage?
Read this section. What are the benefits and harms of flooding?
Describe the flooding risks that many people in Bangladesh face and what they are doing about it.
