Water Resources: Distribution and Conservation

• Unit 7 explores water resources, their distribution, quality, conservation, and relevant Philippine laws.
• The unit aims to address concerns about water scarcity due to human activities.

Essential Questions:

• How water is distributed worldwide.
• Where water can be sourced and if supplies will run out.
• The necessity of preventing water quality degradation.
• Methods to protect and conserve water resources.

Review:

• The hydrosphere encompasses Earth's surface water, groundwater, and atmospheric water vapour.
• The hydrologic cycle, a biogeochemical cycle, involves water movement between oceans, the atmosphere, and land.

Lesson 7.1: Distribution of Water

• The lesson objectives include identifying water distribution on Earth and determining the processes in the water cycle.
• Earth is a closed system, thus elements and compounds are repeatedly recycled to avoid resource depletion.
• The water cycle importance is to know the sources and recycling processes of water.
• Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.
• The hydrosphere stores approximately 1.386 billion cubic kilometers of water, with 96.5% stored in global oceans.
• Freshwater accounts for just over 2% of Earth’s water.
• Glaciers and ice sheets store most of the freshwater, constituting 68.6% of the total.
• Groundwater accounts for 30.1% of total freshwater.
• Surface water and other forms of freshwater deposit make up the remaining 1.3%.
• The hydrologic cycle, powered by solar energy, drives continuous water movement among the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
• Boiling and evaporation involve liquid to gas state change.
• Evaporation can occur at any temperature.
• Water needs to reach its boiling point to boil.
• Oceans, seas, and lakes contribute to 90% of water vapor in the atmosphere.
• The remaining 10% of water vapor comes from plant transpiration.
• Transpiration involves water absorption by plants, released into the atmosphere.
• Evaporation and transpiration combine into evapotranspiration.
• Condensation is when gaseous water vapor transforms into a liquid state.
• Condensation is accountable for cloud formation.
• Clouds further produce precipitation
• Precipitation releases water from clouds as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
• Infiltration occurs when water penetrates the soil.
• Runoff happens when rainfall exceeds absorbent capacity, causing water flow to water bodies.

Hydrologic Cycle Processes:

• Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and runoff.

Key Points of Hydrologic Cycle:

• Water is constantly moving driven by solar energy across the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
• Evaporation changes liquid water into vapor, moving water from water bodies to the atmosphere.
• Transpiration is water’s movement through a plant’s evaporation from leaves.
• Condensation converts water vapor back into liquid.
• Precipitation releases water as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
• Infiltration is the process where water soaks into the ground.

Lesson 7.2: Water Resources on Earth

• Water resources are useful reservoirs for society, used in agriculture, industries, transport, or recreation.
• Water resources come from surface freshwater bodies, groundwater, and saltwater.
• Groundwater is the water found beneath Earth's surface.
• Groundwater exists as water patches filling pores and voids.
• The unsaturated zone does not completely fill with water. As water descends it passes through openings until it reaches the saturated zone becoming groundwater.
• Aquifers store and transmit water, composed of sandstones, conglomerates, and limestones.
• Aquitards or aquicludes, impermeable layers, do not allow water to pass, confining groundwater in aquifers.
• Permeability and porosity enable aquifers to groundwater flow.
• Unconfined aquifers gathers water straight from the surface.
• Confined aquifers traps water strictly between two rock layers.
• Aquifers possess recharge zones (areas where water replenishes) and discharge zones (where water extracts).
• Groundwater extracts via wells & pumps, moving water to the surface.
• Artesian wells freely flow water when sufficient pressure in the aquifer forces it without pumps.
• Saltwater can convert to freshwater through the process desalination.

Water Resource Products:

• Domestic water is used at home.
• Agricultural water sustains plants/livestock.
• Industrial water is used in fabricating, washing, processing, cooling, and diluting products.
• Medical water is used in hydrotherapy, washing surgical tools, and more.
• Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and aquaculture can tap ocean's salt water for energy production and food.

Key points for Water Resources on Earth:

• Groundwater is water found below Earth's surface, obtained from aquifers via wells/pumps.
• Saltwater converts to freshwater through desalination.
• Domestic water is for home use.
• Agricultural water grows plants, sustains livestock.
• Industrial water is in fabricating, washing, cooling, or diluting.
• Medical water is used in hydrotherapy or surgical tools.
• Desalination removes salts/minerals from water.

Lesson 7.3: Quality and Availability of Water

• Objectives of the lesson were to explain how activities affect availability/quality of water, and identify effects the pollutants and poor quality can have.
• Earth is the "blue planet”, however, only 1% of freshwater is available for drinking.
• Water pollutants negatively impact water.
• Nutrient enrichment leads to excessive nutrients in water with elements that have damaging effects.
• Eutrophication is the algal blooms/oxygen depletion promoted in the water.
• High acidity caused by burning fossil fuels creates Acid rain.
• Acid rain acidifies freshwater systems.
• Low pH from acid rain mobilizes metals/elements that pollute groundwater and harm biodiversity/infra-structure.
• Acid rain causes soil to become more acidic.
• High salinity in water can come from agriculture/industry & affect agriculture/livestock.
• Pathogenic organisms contaminating bacteria/viruses/protozoa create water quality risks.
• High coliform bacteria count means contamination has occurred.
• The use of water can be affected negatively by pesticides/byproducts/industrial wastes.
• Toxic substances from consumption of food, especially seafood, in water lead to cancer, hormone level change.
• Farming and livestock rearing contribute to pollution of runoff.
• Raw waste disposal impacts the water.
• Excessive phosphorus/nitrogen causes algal bloom.
• Oxygen deprivation is due to large algae, which harms animals.
• Waterborne diseases are due to poor conditions and can lead to human diseases.
• Nitrate cause birth defects, thyroid problems.

Key points on Quality and Availability of Water:

• Eutrophication occurs with excessive nutrients in the water containing nitrogen/phosphorus.
• Acid rain, due to emissions, makes rainwater acidic.
• Pathogenic organisms in water cause health problems.
• Pesticides degrade drinking supply, threaten sea creatures.

Lesson 7.4: Conserving and Protecting Water Resources

• Aims to identify advocacies of organizations, Philippine water management laws, provide ways to conserve.
• Water management encompasses planning, developing, distributing, and optimizing water resources through policies/regulation.
• UNEP promotes sustainable agenda in order to set global authorities for environmental protection and coherent implementation.
• Water.org provides sanitation/safe water all over the world.
• Miya designs water conserving techniques.
• WaterIsLife has developed ‘The Straw'; a product that has a long lasting ability of removing pathogens that contaminate, as well as teach sanitation and conduct research.
• The Philippines implements government sectors such as the DPWH, DOTC, DA, MWSS, PCG, BFAR, BSWM.
• The Metro Manila area implements a water provider agency that also uses the WQMA, like Maynilad.
• Presidential Decree 1586 has environmentally critical areas identified.
• Republic Act 9275 promotes cleaning and management of water bodies.
• Conservation of Water is done through efficient strategies (repairing leaks, minimize rinsing and laundry, rainwater use, stop dripping).
• The Water Code of Philippines gives strategies, regulation rules and guidelines for protection.
• Water is conserved by individuals at the house/office implementing water-efficient appliances such as dishwashers.
• WWF (World Wide Fund) collaborates governments to protect water.

Key points on Conserving and Protecting Water:

• Water management must be implemented.
• UNEP, Water.org, Miya, and WATERisLIFE are all global water saving groups.
• Various laws/government groups enforce all kinds of conservation and sustainable use.
• Pollution and Water code aims to protect bodies of water.

This unit explores global water distribution, quality, and conservation, emphasizing the water cycle and Philippine laws. It addresses water scarcity concerns and degradation prevention methods. Essential questions include water distribution and sustainable sourcing.