I'm thirsty! A freshwater problem for our future...
Water Is Essential to Life Managing freshwater ecosystems is important around the world. All living things need water. About 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water. But nearly 98 percent of that water is too salty for human use. Of the remaining 2 percent that is fresh water, three fourths is frozen in ice caps. That leaves less than 1 percent of Earth’s water to meet human needs.
People get fresh water from many sources. Some draw water from rivers, lakes, and streams. Others depend on wells that tap into underground water supplies. In still other places, people collect and store rainwater to meet their needs.
Not all fresh water is safe for human use. Of the more than 6 billion people in the world, at least 1 billion don’t have a steady supply of clean, safe drinking water. Unsafe water creates huge health problems. Every day, 4,000 children die from diseases that could have been prevented by having clean water to drink. Every year, more than 2.2 million people die from diseases related to unsafe drinking water.
Water Shortages Are Increasing Every year, the number of people on Earth grows. But the supply of fresh water is not increasing. As a result, more than 1.6 billion people live in areas facing water shortages.
China is one of those countries. To meet the water needs of its large population, China is pumping large amounts of water out of underground supplies. However, these supplies are slowly shrinking. This is happening because more water is being pumped out than is replaced by rainfall each year. Also, some rivers in China are so polluted that their water can’t be used to irrigate crops.
Competition for limited water supplies can cause conflict. Some rivers flow through many countries. When one country dams a river for irrigation water, it may reduce the amount of water flowing to countries downstream.
Click to read captionEgypt, for example, has a population of more than 81 million people. However, it receives almost no rainfall. Instead, Egyptians depend on the Nile River to meet all of their water needs. Before reaching Egypt, the Nile travels through several countries. If any of those countries reduced the flow of the Nile, Egypt could be starved for water. This result could be a water war.
Climate Change May Shrink Water Supplies In the last 25 years, Earth’s climate has warmed slightly. Many scientists believe that this warming trend will continue. This change in climate may affect water supplies. Some areas might get less rainfall than they do today. Others might see more frequent floods.
If these changes occur, managing water supplies will become more important than ever. Countries with shortages will need to improve their water collection and storage methods. Those with too much water will need to improve their flood defenses. Think about these possible problems as you look at maps showing changes in the world’s freshwater supplies in the next section.
Great work! Before going to BrainPop, make sure to answer the last question in your packet! FANTASTIC!
The link below will take you to the login page of BrainPop and then to the first video. If you finish the first video and the quiz, ask Ms. Weaver what to do next.
BRAINPOP link #1 SEARCH FOR "Water Pollution"
BRAINPOP Link #2 SEACH FOR "Water Supply"
username: oci
password: media
People get fresh water from many sources. Some draw water from rivers, lakes, and streams. Others depend on wells that tap into underground water supplies. In still other places, people collect and store rainwater to meet their needs.
Not all fresh water is safe for human use. Of the more than 6 billion people in the world, at least 1 billion don’t have a steady supply of clean, safe drinking water. Unsafe water creates huge health problems. Every day, 4,000 children die from diseases that could have been prevented by having clean water to drink. Every year, more than 2.2 million people die from diseases related to unsafe drinking water.
Water Shortages Are Increasing Every year, the number of people on Earth grows. But the supply of fresh water is not increasing. As a result, more than 1.6 billion people live in areas facing water shortages.
China is one of those countries. To meet the water needs of its large population, China is pumping large amounts of water out of underground supplies. However, these supplies are slowly shrinking. This is happening because more water is being pumped out than is replaced by rainfall each year. Also, some rivers in China are so polluted that their water can’t be used to irrigate crops.
Competition for limited water supplies can cause conflict. Some rivers flow through many countries. When one country dams a river for irrigation water, it may reduce the amount of water flowing to countries downstream.
Click to read captionEgypt, for example, has a population of more than 81 million people. However, it receives almost no rainfall. Instead, Egyptians depend on the Nile River to meet all of their water needs. Before reaching Egypt, the Nile travels through several countries. If any of those countries reduced the flow of the Nile, Egypt could be starved for water. This result could be a water war.
Climate Change May Shrink Water Supplies In the last 25 years, Earth’s climate has warmed slightly. Many scientists believe that this warming trend will continue. This change in climate may affect water supplies. Some areas might get less rainfall than they do today. Others might see more frequent floods.
If these changes occur, managing water supplies will become more important than ever. Countries with shortages will need to improve their water collection and storage methods. Those with too much water will need to improve their flood defenses. Think about these possible problems as you look at maps showing changes in the world’s freshwater supplies in the next section.
Great work! Before going to BrainPop, make sure to answer the last question in your packet! FANTASTIC!
The link below will take you to the login page of BrainPop and then to the first video. If you finish the first video and the quiz, ask Ms. Weaver what to do next.
BRAINPOP link #1 SEARCH FOR "Water Pollution"
BRAINPOP Link #2 SEACH FOR "Water Supply"
username: oci
password: media