In this section

Summary

Hydrosphere Contents

3. Water As A Resource

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Conclusion

Historically, civilisations have flourished and dwindled on the basis of their capability to exploit water resources, because they define limits to industrial, agricultural and population potential. While the total quantity of water world wide is adequate, its pattern of distribution does not match the pattern of demand. Major water resource engineering projects have accordingly been implemented. In order to be sustainable, they must holistically account for the natural forces of the hydrological cycle.

Questions and answers

1. What is at the heart of the world's water resource management problem?

question 1 answers

2.What percentage of the Earth's water is freshwater?

question 2 answers

3.How is the Earth's freshwater represented in the biosphere? Give the percentage content of each store.

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4. Consider the global water storage locations. Which location stores water for the longest period and which for the shortest period?

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5. Data on resource availability is used by many authors to define the limits of world industrial and agricultural and population growth. What factors will increase the stress on water supply?

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6. How does Saha (1981) distinguish between the water resource management perspective and the modern river basin planning approach?

question 6 answers