What you'll need to know...
KEY CONCEPT - The varying power of different actors in relation to water management issues:
Physical and economic water scarcity, and the factors that control these including the causes and impacts of droughts; the distinction between water quantity and water quality
Environmental consequences of agricultural activities on water quality, to include pollution (eutrophication) and irrigation (salinization)
• Detailed examples to illustrate the role of different stakeholders
Growing human pressures on lakes and aquifers, including economic growth and population migration
Internationally shared water resources as a source of conflict
• Case study of one internationally shared water resource and the role of different stakeholders in attempting to find a resolution
Physical and economic water scarcity, and the factors that control these including the causes and impacts of droughts; the distinction between water quantity and water quality
Environmental consequences of agricultural activities on water quality, to include pollution (eutrophication) and irrigation (salinization)
• Detailed examples to illustrate the role of different stakeholders
Growing human pressures on lakes and aquifers, including economic growth and population migration
Internationally shared water resources as a source of conflict
• Case study of one internationally shared water resource and the role of different stakeholders in attempting to find a resolution
Physical and economic water scarcity...Water scarcity occurs when there is insufficient accessible water to meet the needs of people and the environment. However, scarcity can take different forms. Physical water scarcity occurs when natural water supplies are insufficient to meet demand, often due to low rainfall, drought or overuse. Economic water scarcity occurs when water may be physically available, but people lack the infrastructure, investment or technology needed to access it safely. Understanding this distinction helps explain why water insecurity affects places in very different ways.
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Objective: To examine the factors that control water scarcity including the causes and impacts of droughts; the distinction between water quantity and water quality.
Task 1 - Complete the first task on the worksheet above by using the first video (water in the Anthropocene) below.
Task 2 - Complete the second task on the worksheet above by using the second video (water scarcity) below
Extension: Fast facts & TOK - Watch the third video below (water crisis) that gives you the wider picture. What criticisms could you make of this type of video?
Task 2 - Complete the second task on the worksheet above by using the second video (water scarcity) below
Extension: Fast facts & TOK - Watch the third video below (water crisis) that gives you the wider picture. What criticisms could you make of this type of video?
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Further reading (optional HL) - Click on this link to download a PDF document from 'Population Action International'.
a. Make a note of the classifications of 'water scarce' and 'water stressed'.
b. How many people globally live under either of the two conditions above?
c. Where are most water scare/stressed countries found and why?
d. What role does agriculture play?
e. What role does urbanisation play?
f. What role does industrial & domestic water usage have in water stress issues?
g. How can future water scarcity issues impact on gender disparities?
El Niño Update 2026-2027
El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon involving unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It occurs every few years and disrupts normal atmospheric circulation, changing patterns of rainfall and temperature around the world. In some regions, El Niño can reduce rainfall and increase the likelihood and severity of drought, while elsewhere it may cause unusually heavy rainfall and flooding. Understanding El Niño helps explain why drought risk and water availability can vary significantly between years.
If you are studying this unit in 2026-2027, you will have seen this story all over the news. Spend six and a half minutes watching the video, then copy and paste the transcript into Gemini (or which ever AI model your school supports) and create a basic infographic to show
1. the causes and effects of this 'super' El Niño event.
2. the timescale
3. the links to climate change
4. key data (sea surface temperatures)
5. the 'Kelvin Wave'
6. places likely to be impacted
The causes of droughts...
Droughts develop when water availability remains below normal for an extended period. They may begin with prolonged rainfall deficits, but their severity is influenced by factors such as high temperatures, increased evaporation, changing atmospheric circulation and reduced soil moisture. Human activities can intensify drought conditions through over-abstraction of rivers and groundwater, deforestation and rising water demand. Drought is therefore not simply a lack of rainfall, but results from interactions between physical processes and human water use.
Task 1 - Complete the worksheet beneath using the resources on this page to help you. Before you start on the climate tasks, be sure to check out the second and third videos below.
The second video below gives you a little more information on the ITCZ and an overview of atmospheric circulations. Even though it focuses on deserts, it will help you to understand why areas of the earth are naturally arid and where drought events can occur.
For El Nino, please use the third video and make a copy of this map (from the video) and paste into your worksheet into the blank space. Use the content of the third video starting at 1:12 to annotate this map with the key information on both Nino & Nina events!
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The impacts of droughts...Droughts occur when an area experiences an extended period of unusually low water availability. Their impacts can be environmental, social and economic, affecting water supplies, agriculture, ecosystems, food security and livelihoods. The severity of these impacts varies between places according to the duration of the drought and the vulnerability of affected communities.
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Click the tab below to access a revision document about the 2011 Horn of Africa drought event. This outlines the key causes and effects of this devastating natural disaster. This part of the syllabus does not require a case study of a drought, but it is often good as a geographer to give context to the theory.
Task 1 - Highlight the key impacts of the drought on affected areas in the Horn of Africa.
Task 2 - Use Gemini Notebook LM or similiar to produce a revision infographic to show the major causes and impacts of the Horn of Africa drought in 2011.
Task 1 - Highlight the key impacts of the drought on affected areas in the Horn of Africa.
Task 2 - Use Gemini Notebook LM or similiar to produce a revision infographic to show the major causes and impacts of the Horn of Africa drought in 2011.
Exam Corner:
Outline two impacts of drought. [2]
Explain two factors that influence the cause of drought. [3+3]
Exploring the Water Quality-Quantity Nexus...Water quantity and water quality are closely connected. A place may have sufficient water, but pollution can make it unusable, while declining water supplies can also worsen water quality. Understanding this nexus shows that water scarcity is not simply about how much water is available, but whether that water is safe and usable.
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There has been considerable research recently surrounding water quality and water quantity. The information PDF below is taken directly from a blog post written here by Daniel Stellar. It has been copied directly as most schools won't allow access to blogs on the internal system.
Task - Use the worksheet below to extract the key points of the article above so that you more fully understand the importance of the water quality - quantity Nexus.
Environmental consequences of agricultural activities...
Agriculture can have significant impacts on freshwater environments. Irrigation may reduce river flows and deplete groundwater reserves, while fertilizers, pesticides and animal waste can pollute rivers, lakes and aquifers. Poorly managed irrigation can also cause soil salinization and waterlogging. As global demand for food increases, agriculture places growing pressure on both water quantity and quality, creating challenges for ecosystems, other water users and the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
Objective: To study the effects of pollution (eutrophication) and irrigation (salinization) on water quality and the examine the role of different stakeholders
Part 1 - Salinization...
Task sheet for this section is found by clicking the tab below
Task 1 - Watch the first video to the right hand side and note the causes and effects of salinization on the Murray Darling basin in Australia as well as what is being done to combat the problem. This task will lead on to the task below....
To get the full explanation of why salinization is such an issue in Australia, please watch the second video to the right.
•PPM = Parts per million
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Part 2 - Eutrophication...
Task 2 - Turn to page 494 of Integrated Approach and Copy Figure 16.50 giving it a suitable title. Alternatively, make a copy of the diagram below from the BBC Bitesize site.
Task 3 - Lake Erie, USA/Canada - Read this Guardian newspaper article and watch the video below. Then, summarise:
*The main causes & effects of eutrophication on Lake Erie (being clear of the link between the degradation of the lake and the economic activity close by).
* The reasons why management of the waters of Lake Erie is needed
Task 2 - Turn to page 494 of Integrated Approach and Copy Figure 16.50 giving it a suitable title. Alternatively, make a copy of the diagram below from the BBC Bitesize site.
Task 3 - Lake Erie, USA/Canada - Read this Guardian newspaper article and watch the video below. Then, summarise:
*The main causes & effects of eutrophication on Lake Erie (being clear of the link between the degradation of the lake and the economic activity close by).
* The reasons why management of the waters of Lake Erie is needed
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Growing human pressures on aquifers & lakes...
Aquifers and lakes provide vital freshwater for households, agriculture and industry, but many are under increasing human pressure. Population growth, urbanisation and expanding irrigation are increasing water withdrawals, sometimes faster than supplies can be naturally replenished. Pollution from agriculture, industry and settlements can further reduce water quality. These pressures may cause falling groundwater levels, shrinking lakes, ecosystem damage and conflicts between users, raising important questions about how these valuable freshwater stores can be managed sustainably.
Objective: To find out how economic growth and population migration can contribute to pressure on lakes and aquifers.
In the previous piece of work, we have seen how the pressures of population growth and agriculture around Lake Erie have caused significant problems in terms of the degradation of the quality of water in the lake system (eutrophication). We now switch our attention to those growing human pressures on water supplies deep underground, also known as aquifers.
What is an aquifer?
- Underground rock or sediment that stores groundwater (infiltrated precipitation)
Types of aquifers
- Confined: trapped under impermeable rock
- Unconfined: below permeable soil, easily polluted
How groundwater moves
- Very slowly through pores in rock
- Not underground rivers or lakes
Why aquifers matter
- Major source of drinking water
- Used for agriculture and industry
- Accessed by wells and springs
Human pressures
- Over-extraction → depletion
- Pollution from farming and waste
- Natural filtration is limited
Task - Our focus for this unit is how a huge underground aquifer is being utilised in the driest inhabited continent on planet earth - Australia! You will need to watch most of the video below (skip between 12.30 and 17.45) and use the scaffolded worksheet below to record down the key information to help you match this syllabus point with key context.
Explain two examples of where growing human pressures has a detrimental effect upon an aquifer. [3+3]
"Hydropolitics" - The rise of internationally shared water resources as a source of conflict...
Many rivers, lakes and aquifers cross international borders, meaning that countries must share and manage the same water resources. As populations grow and demand for water increases, competition over these resources can create political tensions, particularly where water is scarce. Hydropolitics explores how power, cooperation and conflict influence the management of transboundary water. Upstream countries may have greater control over water flows, while downstream countries depend on decisions made elsewhere, making international agreements and cooperation increasingly important.
Objective: To study one internationally shared water resource and to discover the role of different stakeholders in attempting to find a resolution
Task 1 - Our case study for internationally shared water resource will be the River Nile. Your bank of resources can be found below to build up your case study of the issues.
Each resource shows an important consideration when trying to make sense of the issues surrounding the water conflict. Synthesis required!
Each resource shows an important consideration when trying to make sense of the issues surrounding the water conflict. Synthesis required!
Resource Bank 1 - Population Distribution & River Damming
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Africa Population Density (note Nile route)
Source http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu
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Nile River Dams
Source www.water.ox.ac.uk
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Resource Bank 2 - Things Are Getting Geo-messy
Resource Bank 3 - Dam You! - GERD Impacts
Resource Bank 4 - A History of Falling Out
Resource Bank 5 - The Stakeholders
The factsheets below were created by some wonderful students at the Campus Des Nations in Geneva and highlight how each group of stakeholders can be impacted. Source page is here.
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Task 3
Using all the information above in form, complete a 500 word note taking exercise that aims to answer the three questions as follows:
a. Summarise the importance of the River Nile for different stakeholders in the different countries.
**Include at least one map of the river system, and one map showing population density.
b. Outline the GERD project and its importance to Ethiopia.
**Include at least four pieces of data linking to the construction and expected impact on the economy of Ethiopia.
c. Detail who these stakeholders are (power) and how they are affected by water conflict in this drainage basin.
Using all the information above in form, complete a 500 word note taking exercise that aims to answer the three questions as follows:
a. Summarise the importance of the River Nile for different stakeholders in the different countries.
**Include at least one map of the river system, and one map showing population density.
b. Outline the GERD project and its importance to Ethiopia.
**Include at least four pieces of data linking to the construction and expected impact on the economy of Ethiopia.
c. Detail who these stakeholders are (power) and how they are affected by water conflict in this drainage basin.
In Summary...
Water scarcity is shaped by both physical availability and people’s ability to access and manage water. Physical water scarcity occurs when demand exceeds available supplies, while economic water scarcity results from inadequate investment, infrastructure or technology. Drought can intensify scarcity, with impacts varying according to the vulnerability and capacity of different communities to respond.
Water quantity and quality are closely connected: declining supplies can worsen water quality, while pollution reduces the amount of usable water available. Agriculture places pressure on freshwater through abstraction, eutrophication caused by nutrient pollution, and salinization associated with irrigation. Population growth, migration and economic development are also increasing pressures on lakes and aquifers.
These issues are closely linked to power. Governments, farmers, businesses, communities and other stakeholders have different demands for water and unequal influence over its management. Wealth, political influence, technology, geographical location and control of infrastructure can determine whose interests are prioritized.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile demonstrates this clearly. Ethiopia views the dam as important for electricity generation and economic development, while downstream Egypt has concerns about its water security and Sudan has its own interests in Nile management. GERD therefore illustrates how control over a shared water resource can alter relationships of power and require negotiation and cooperation between competing stakeholders.
Water quantity and quality are closely connected: declining supplies can worsen water quality, while pollution reduces the amount of usable water available. Agriculture places pressure on freshwater through abstraction, eutrophication caused by nutrient pollution, and salinization associated with irrigation. Population growth, migration and economic development are also increasing pressures on lakes and aquifers.
These issues are closely linked to power. Governments, farmers, businesses, communities and other stakeholders have different demands for water and unequal influence over its management. Wealth, political influence, technology, geographical location and control of infrastructure can determine whose interests are prioritized.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile demonstrates this clearly. Ethiopia views the dam as important for electricity generation and economic development, while downstream Egypt has concerns about its water security and Sudan has its own interests in Nile management. GERD therefore illustrates how control over a shared water resource can alter relationships of power and require negotiation and cooperation between competing stakeholders.
