Name and discribe the 4 components of Water Recources:
Blue Water:
portion of rainwater that enters streams and recharges groundwater
Green Water:
portion of rainfall that is stored in the soil and evaporates from it (also transpiration)
Grey Water:
water which has been pollutedd due to production processes, wastewater without fecal contamination
Fossil Water:
groundwater that has accumulated in previous geological periods and is a not renewable recource
What is Hydrology?
Science dealing with the properties, distribution and circulation of water. On surface, below the earth´s surface and in the atmosphere. Including water quality, water quantity and ecology.
Water is not distributed equally in time and space!!!
What water recources do we have on a global scale? Sort them from big to small:
Oceans
Glaciers
Freshwater (Rivers, Lakes, Reservoirs, Soil Water and Groundwater)
Atmosphere
What is Water Management?
Water management is the planned development, distribution and use of water recources. It also includes the redistribution of water in time and space!
What aspects need to be considered in terms of flow regime and spatial distribution?
Natural hydroclimatic conditions: how much water is available in a region (dry or humid?)
Climate oscillations varies intraannually (between seasons) interannually (between years) or over decades and longer periods of time
What different scales in time and space need to be considered?
Explain the term Transboundary:
Rivers do not only stay in one country, they cross the borders!
But nations and states have the habit to treat all of the water within their borders as a national resource!
Can cause conflicts!
Explain the term water scarcity:
Water scarcity exists, when the demand for water exceeds the supply and sustainable limits. It can either be physical or economic.
Explain the term water stress:
Water stress is an outcome from water scarcity and refers to scarcity in terms of quality and accessability.
Explain the term water security:
Water security is the ability of a population to have enough access to clean water in order to sustain livelihood, human well-being and socio-economic development.
Also it is the ability to protect against water related desaters, pollution and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.
What is the main drivers for water scarcity?
Poppulation growth!!!!
2008: 6.6 billion people
2016: 7.4 billion people
2020: 8.0 billion people
Water use and consumption!!!!
Water use= Total amount of water withdrawn from its source to be used.
Municipal = 10%
Industry = 20%
Agriculture = 70%
Water consumption= Is the portion of water use that is not returned to the original water source.
Municipal = 3%
Industry = 4% (non consumptive)
Agriculture = 93% also including livestock (consumptive)
How much fresh water is globally used for aggriculture?
70% of the freshwater withdrawls
Name the Dublin Principles form 1992
1) Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable recource
2) Participatory approach (users, planners and policy makers)
3) Women should be encouraged to play a central part at all levels
4) Recognition of social and economic value of water
Integrated Water Recource Management is a process which….
…helps with a coordinated development of water, land and related recources in order to maximize economic and social welfare an while protecting vital ecosystems.
Give a definition fror sustainability:
“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of futur generations to meet their own needs”
(World Commission on Environment and Development 1987)
Explain the concept of virtual water:
Vitual water represents the amount of water that has been used to produce something and that is virtually embodied in the product.
e.g. Wheat needs 650 l water for 500g
e.g. Beef needs 4650 l water for one steak (300g)
e.g. Cheese needs 2500 l water for one big pice (500g)
Name the 4 main categories of ecosystem services and on realted service:
What is ecosystem functioning?
Combination of all processes in an ecosystem and how they work together.
Interactions between organisms and the physical environment (e.g. nutrient cycling, soil development,…)
Name 5 Sustainable Development goals:
What is the SDG 6 about?
Clean Water and Sanitation
6.A International Cooperation
6.B More Local Participation
6.1 Safe Drinking Water
6.2 Sanitation and Hygene
6.3 Water quality
6.4 Water efficiency
6.5 Integrated WRM
6.6 Water related ecosystems
How much of the worlds population uses a safely managed dirnking water system?
73 %
2.2 Billion People have no access to safely managed drinking water.
How much of the worlds poppulation uses a safely managed sanitation service?
57 %
3.5 Billion people lack a safely managed sanitation
How much of the worlds domestic wastewater is safely treated?
58 %
How much of the worlds transboundary basin areas has an operational arrangement for water cooperation?
How much of the worlds monitored water bodies has a good ambient water quality?
How much of the germans ….?
World 60%
Germany 40%
What are the targets for Integrated Water Recources Management until 2030?
6 times more drinkingwater
5 times more sanitation
3 times more hygene
How would you define Integrated Land and Water Management?
The Integrated management of land and water recources is crucial for sustainable rural development and for ensureing food security for a growing population. It was mentioned that successful integrated land and water management (ILWM) depends on secure land tenure arrangements, broad participation and improved the dissemination of knowledge and good practices.
-> ILWM is a subtype of IWRM with focus on water efficiency in agriculture
-> land and water management in an integrated way to secure water and food security
Explain the Green Revolution:
The green revolution is a fight against hunger due to new technologies in the 1960s in agriculture in developing countries (e.g. high-performance crops, expansion of irrigation, use of synthetic fertalizers and pesticides)
Restults:
3 times more food production on a global scale
Without that, 200 million people would hunger !!!!!!!
What is the difficulty in balancing water supply and water demand? What are improtant factors?
How much of the global freshwater withdrawls is used for agriculture?
70%
How much will the irrigated food production increase until 2050?
more than 50 % compared to 2007
What is Belg rain? Whats the problem with it?
Belg rain is a regional rainfall pattern in Ethopia. This rainfall pattern was constant over long time an is known by the eldest. But due to climate change, the experience of the elders is not valid anymore.
-> Transition from rainfed agriculture (tradiotional) to modern irrigated agriculture
Why is irrigation so important?
Agriculture is the most important water user on the global scale
Increasing importance for food production
Rainfed agriculture is increasingly subject to water stress
-> new systems with high efficiency needed
Explain the concept “more crop per drop”
The system takes the sustainable use of groundwater recources into account.
Rate of extraction should not exceed the rate of aquifer recharge
Supply-side management (How much do we have?)
Demand-side management (how much do we really need?)
Safe water yield !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How much groundwater ist used for drinking, industry and irrigation?
1/2 of the drinkingwater supply worldwide
40 % is used for irrigation
1/3 is used in industry
When is irrigation needed?
When the evapotranspiration is higher than the precipitation in order to secure yield and quality of crops.
The superior goal is to avoid drought strees for the plants. But irrigation is also used to distribute fertalizers and for desalination of the soil. Also for groundwater recharge and wastewater treatment.
What are criterias for the choice of an irrigation method?
Sort the following irrigation methods by their efficiency. (low to high)
Micro-irrigation
Drip irrigation
Surface
Subsurface
Sprinkler
Surface (low)
Drip irrigation (high)
Name 3 pros and 3 cons for Surface irrigation:
Pros:
Low implementation costs
little technical effort
Low maintainance costs
Cons:
High evaporation losses
levelled fileds necessary
Low efficiency 40 -70%
needs alot of work
Name 3 pros and 3 cons for Sprinkler irrigation:
Less work
flexible use on any field
multi purpose irrigation possible (fertilizer and pesticides)
High investment costs
problems with high wind speed and high temperatures
Low efficiency 60 -75%
high evaporation losses due to wind and high temperatures
What is the differernce between full and deficit irrigation?
The objective of the full irigation is the maximum possible yield. However from a certain point the water productivity will decrease. Less is sometimes more !
What functions does the soil have?
Habitat
Nutrient storrage
Co2 Storrage -> Impact on climate
Evaporation -> Cooling
Water Storrage (Sponge)
Water filter
Food production
What does the term field capacity discribe?
It is the volume of water, that can be held against gravity
What is the wiliting point?
It is the water content at which most plants wilt irreversibly.
What is available water?
It is the amount of water that is usuable for plants.
What is soil degradation?
Soil degradation is the reduction of the soils ecosystem services up to its complete loss.
It can be consequence of natural or anthropogenic processes. Due to worse growing conditions and a nutrient loss, the yield will be reduced.
What can be triggers for soil degradation?
agriculture on steep slopes (problems with heavy rain)
unculitvated agricultural land (problems with strong wind)
large parcels without hedges or other structures to interupt flow accumulation
soil compaction (problems with heavy machinery) (less percolation capacity)
use of artifical fertilizers and pesticides
ploughing
deforestation
mining
overgrazing
What are risks of soil erosion?
lower agricultural production
loss of biodiversity
risk of landslides and floods
damaged infrastructure
displacement of people
What is a plow sole?
It describes the transition from a tilled and lose topsoil to a soil surface compacted by plowing.
It can lead to poorly permeable layers.
What is Agroforestry?
It is a name for a land-use system, where trees or bushes are plantedd on the same land-management unit as agricultural crops and/or animals. (two or more species with two or more outputs)
It has ecological and economical interactions between the different components and is more complex than a monocropping system.
Mid- or Longterm horizon (always more than one year) -> Landownership or Leasing
For Agroforestry ther is not one universal system. It always depends on the location, individual targets and the farm business. What different types do exist?
1) trees with arable crops
2) trees with livestock
3) trees with arable crops and livestock
What are possible disadvantages of Agroforestry?
Higher estabilshment costs
Greater effort and higher costs for management
Long-term capital and land commitment due to the slow growing of woods
Roots can damage the destroy arable drainage systems
Competition between Trees and Crops (light, nutrients, water, space,…)
What are advantages of Agroforestry?
Increased Biodiversity
Increasing structural and habitat diversity in agricultural regions
More benefitial insects
Soil protection due to less erosion
Enhanced nutrient cycle
Higher product range (e.g. fire wood)
Higher yield stability due to improved microclimate
less fertalizer and pesticide consumption
Better Groundwater quality
Higher Aesthetic!
Which issues are included in the Trilemma of Land Use?
Climate protection
Food security
Biodiversity conservation
What are the 5 multiple benefit strategies?
1) Ecosystem restoration: restore terrestrial ecosystems (e.g. forests, wetlands, grasslands) to enhance biodiversity and remove CO2 from the atmosphere in addition
2) Protected area systems: Well inter connected protected area systems.
3) Diversified agriculture: EU agricultural policy should reduce industrial farming methods to improve food security, climate change mitigation and biodiversion conservation -> sustainable increase of production
4) Timber based construction: long-term carbon storrage, but wood must come from sustainbale forestry
5) Change dietary habits -> less animal products will reduce pressure on terrestrial ecosystems
What are different reasons for soil degradation in EU and Sub-Saharan Africa?
EU: pesticides and fertalizers
Africa: insufficient fertilisation
Which sectoral converntions should be considered in international cooperation?
UNCCD: United Nations Convention to COmabt Desertification
UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on CC
CBD: Convertion on Biological Diversity
Why do we need models?
Models are used to simulate complex systems in a simplified way.
Helps understand and identify drivers
simulation of impacts and planning support
What are sources of uncertainty?
Input data
System parameters
Modelling
What is a WEAP and for what can it be used?
A Water Evaluation and Policy Model can deliver results for various hydrologic and policy scenarios:
What are advantages and disadvantages of Poplar Short Rotation Coppices Agroforestry?
Advantages:
Filter effect -> higher nutrient deposition -> less Nitrate (- 1/3)
Disadvantages:
Higher Transpiration -> less groundwater recharge (-35 to 60%) and higher water consumption
Why is integrated land and water management necessary? - especially for agriculture?
It is a central approach to combine multiple land and water use goals to be more sustainable in the future, to adapt to climate cahnge and allocated risks and reduce uncertainty!
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