4.

1 – Introduction to water
systems

LINK
 Importance of Water

• Globally, 1.2 billion people live in area with

inadequate water supply (source: International
Water)
• Water keeps us alive
• Moderates climate
• Sculpts the land
• Removes and dilutes wastes and pollution
• Moves continually through the hydrologic cycle
Globally, 1.2 billion people live in areas with
inadequate water supply
Source: International Water Management Institute

https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-water-shortage.php
 Earth’s Water Budget

• There is a limited amount of water on Earth –

only some is useable
• Water can be considered a renewable or
non-renewable resource depending on where
it is stored
– Molecules in ocean and ice are locked in for long
time – non-renewable
– Molecules in atmosphere and rivers move through
cycles more quickly – renewable
The water cycle
Over 2/3rds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water,
but less than 1% is fresh water for drinking.
Fresh water is a scarce resource and is fast becoming a
political issue in the developing world
Find out the definitions of the following:

• Precipitation
• Evapotranspiration
• Infiltration
• Surface runoff
• Groundwater
• Percolation
 STORAGES FLOWS

Snow and ice Precipitation over oceans

Ground water and aquifers Precipitation over land

Lakes and rivers Ice melt

Oceans Surface run-off

Atmosphere Evapotranspiration from land

Soil Evaporation from sea

 Prec
ipita
Atmosphere tion

Eva
p
tran oration

Precipitation
spir
atio /
n
Evaporation

Land

n o ff / ter
Ru ndwa
Oceans grou
 Turnover time

Water molecules will

move throughout all the
different parts of the
system but the length of
time they spend in
certain parts will vary.

This is called TURNOVER

TIME
Turnover time –try to match the turnover time to
the correct location
Location Turnover time

Atmosphere 37,000 years

Oceans 300 years

Icecaps 9 days

Groundwater 16,000 years

Rivers 12-20 days

 Task:
• Get into groups of 3 – 4 and using internet
sources, research a human impact on the
hydrological cycle.
• Each person should have a different, but specific,
topic. Ideas:
– 20% of the world’s aquifers are being over pumped
– Pollution (fertilizers, heavy metals, sewage)
– Changing the flow of rivers (channels, straightening
rivers, dams, river diversions)
– Others?
• Research ~5 minutes. Sharing ~5 minutes.

Discuss human impact on the hydrological cycle

 Case study: the Aral Sea - Desertification
Intense irrigation has
almost stopped river
flow into the sea

The sea level has

lowered

The area of the Aral

Sea has shrunk
almost 90% in the
last 50 years
Watch: LINK
The shrinking Aral Sea
Case study: Flash flooding in the
Ganges river basin
Ganges river basin – area covered
 Flash flooding in the Ganges basin

Why the floods

are so bad
http://www.bbc.com/n
ews/world-asia-india-3
7217679
1. Withdrawals
– Domestic use, irrigation and industry
2. Discharges
– Adding pollutants – sewage/fertilisers
3. Changing flow speed
– Rivers are channelled underground
– Canalising (straightening large
sections)
– Dams/barrages/dykes
4. Diverting rivers
– Away from important areas to avoid
flood damage
– Towards dams to improve storage
 Too Little Freshwater

• About 41% of the world’s population live in river

basins that do not have enough freshwater
• Many parts of the world are experiencing
– Rivers running dry
– Lakes and seas shrinking
– Falling water tables from over-pumped aquifers
• Daily water consumption
– 350L in North America and Japan
– 200L in Europe
– 20L in sub-Saharan Africa
 • Transport heat
– Equator to poles
• Transport nutrients and
organisms
• Influences weather and
climate
• Influences commerce

Why is Ocean Circulation Important?

 Ocean currents and climate
• Water has a higher specific heat capacity than
land.
• Therefore takes longer to heat up/cool down.
• This means land close to the oceans has a mild
climate.
– E.g. The warm gulf stream - north Atlantic drift gives
Britain (and NW Europe) a moderate climate when
they should have a subarctic climate.
 Transport by Currents

• Surface currents play significant roles in transport

heat energy from equatorial waters towards the
poles
• Currents also involved with gas exchanges,
especially O2 and CO2
• Nutrient exchanges important within surface
waters (including outflow from continents) and
deeper waters (upwelling and downwelling)
• Pollution dispersal
• Impact on fisheries and other resources
 Ocean Currents
Surface Currents
• The upper 400 meters of the ocean (10%).
Deep Water Currents
• Thermal/Salinity currents (90%)
Thermohaline circulation

White sections represent warm surface currents.

Blue sections represent deep cold currents
 Great Ocean Conveyor Belt
• Scientists estimate that the Great Ocean
Conveyor Belt model takes about 1,000 years
to complete a cycle.
 Great Ocean Conveyor Belt

• The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt is the name

for a model of the large system of ocean
currents that affects weather and climate by
circulating thermal energy around Earth.
• In this model, high salinity water cools and
sinks in the North Atlantic, and deep water
returns to the surface in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans through upwelling
 Thermohaline circulation
Global ocean circulation that is driven by differences in the density of
the sea water which is controlled by temperature and salinity.
Wind-driven surface currents
90o

60o
Surface Currents
Forces
30o
1. Solar Heating
(temp, density)
0o
2. Winds
30o
3. Coriolis (see
LINK)
60o

https://www.youtube.com/
90o
watch?v=IMKa_ubu8UM
 Impacts on Weather and Climate
The Gulf Stream is a warm-water current that
affects coastal areas of the southwestern United
States by transferring lots of thermal energy and
moisture to the surrounding air.

⚫ The cold California

Current affects coastal
areas of the
southwestern United
States.
What is El Nino?
 Intrigued?

• If this interests you, make

sure to read what the
textbook has to say on
this (p205-206)
• Be sure to read the
effects of El Nino.
• And watch :LINK
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

• El Niño = warm surface current in equatorial

eastern Pacific that occurs periodically
around December
• Southern Oscillation = change in
atmospheric pressure over Pacific Ocean
accompanying El Niño
• ENSO describes a combined
oceanic-atmospheric disturbance
 El Nino

• Oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon in the

Pacific Ocean
• Occurs during December
• 2 to 7 year cycle
• Sea Surface Temperature
• Atmospheric Winds
• Upwelling
Normal situation over Pacific Ocean
(non-El Nino year):
• low pressure over Asia
• high pressure over South America
• winds blow east to west
• shallow thermocline along South
• America, lots of upwelling, cold water at
surface
• deeper thermocline near Asia, warm
• surface water piles up
 El Nino years over Pacific Ocean:
• pressure change = Southern Oscillation
• higher pressure over Asia
• lower pressure over South America
• winds weaken or blow west to east
• thermocline deepens along South
• America, little upwelling, warmer water at
surface
• warm surface water sloshes back along
equatorial Pacific
sea surface temperature in Pacific Ocean
 El Nino

• El Nino occurs every 2 to 7 years

• usually lasts about 1 year
• scientists do not know why pressure changes
causing winds to shift
• warm water arrives at South America around
Christmas – hence El Nino – for the Christ
Child
 Effects of El Nino

• upwelling along Peru reduced

• warm water with few nutrients rises
• fisheries decline
 Effects of El Nino

• increased precipitation over parts of South

America, western and southern U.S.
• can result in severe flooding
• drought in Australia, Indonesia, Philippines
• reduction in annual monsoons in India
• can result in severe crop damage
• severe property damage and thousands of
deaths
 La Nina
• opposite El Nino
• swings the other way and winds blow more
than normal towards west
Non El Niño El Niño

1997
 Non El Niño

upwelling

El Niño

Thermocline –
layer of ocean right beneath
the “mixed layer” where
temperatures decrease
rapidly.
 El Niño events over the last 55 years

El Niño warmings (red) and La Niña coolings (blue) since 1950. Source: NOAA Climate
Diagnostics Center
Effects of severe El Niños