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... |
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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?
The causes of droughts...
Task 1 - Complete the worksheet beneath using the resources on this page to help you. Before you start on the climatic tasks, be sure to check out the two explanation videos beneath.
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... |
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Click the tab below to access a ready completed case study document on the 2011 Horn of Africa drought event. This outlines the key causes and effects of this devastating natural disaster.
Task 2 - Use two different colours to highlight the text that shows elements of physical and economic water scarcity as core reasons for the drought event.
Task 2 - Use two different colours to highlight the text that shows elements of physical and economic water scarcity as core reasons for the drought event.
Task 3 - Study this Al Jazeera news article from 2017 carefully and pay particular attention to how drought mitigation schemes can work with a particular focus on the Ethiopian approach.
Exam Corner:
Examine the factors that control the causes and impacts of a drought event (10)
Suggest three schemes that allows for the mitigation of drought events (2+2+2)
Exploring the Water Quality-Quantity Nexus... |
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There has been considerable research recently surrounding water quality and water quantity. The information pack 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 1 - Read the information carefully and use a highlighter tool to pick out key aspects of the text.
Task 2 - Explain the nexus relationship between water quality and quantity and they key obstacles to future safeguarding of this resource.
Task 1 - Read the information carefully and use a highlighter tool to pick out key aspects of the text.
Task 2 - Explain the nexus relationship between water quality and quantity and they key obstacles to future safeguarding of this resource.
Environmental consequences of agricultural activities...
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 on the blue 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...
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...
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.
