Freshwater—issues+and+conflicts

= = =Revision Materials From Greenfield= Examine the human modifications of a floodplain and their effect on the size and probability of floods. Evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative stream management strategies. || 3 hours || [|IB Freshwater issues and conflict defintions.doc]
 * [|Articles from Diigo for Further Reading]**
 * 1. The water system ||
 * * The hydrological Cycle || Examine the inputs, outputs, stores and transfers of the hydrological cycle. Discuss the causes and consequences of the changing balance between water stored in oceans and ice. || 3 hours ||
 * * The water balance || Explain the concept of maximum sustainable yield of freshwater in terms of a balance between inputs and outputs. ||^  ||
 * 2. Drainage basins and flooding ||
 * * Drainage basins || Examine the functioning of a drainage basin as an open system with inputs, outputs, transfers, stores and feedback loops. || 2 hours ||
 * * Discharge || Define stream discharge. Examine its relationship to stream flow and channel shape. || 1 hour ||
 * * Hydrographs || Describe the characteristics of a hydrograph. Examine the reasons for spatial and temporal (short-term and long-term) variations in hydrographs. Examine the role of hydrographs in forecasting the magnitude, spatial extent and timing of floods. || 3 hours ||
 * * Floods || Discuss the natural and human causes and consequences of a specific river flood. || 3 hours ||
 * 3. Management issues and strategies ||
 * * Dams and Reservoirs || Examine the hydrological changes resulting from the construction of dams and reservoirs. Examine the costs and benefits of dams and reservoirs as part of multi‑purpose schemes. || 2 hours ||
 * * Floodplain management || Explain the stream channel processes (erosion, transport, deposition) and explain the resultant landforms found on floodplains.
 * * Groundwater management || Explain the functioning and management of artesian basins and aquifers, distinguishing between natural and artificial recharge. Examine the environmental impacts of groundwater abstraction. || 2 hours ||
 * * Freshwater wetland management || Describe the role of wetlands as a water resource. Evaluate the effectiveness of the management strategies that have been adopted in a major wetland. || 2 hours ||
 * * Irrigation and agriculture || Examine the environmental impact of agriculture and irrigation on water quality: salinization, agro‑chemical run-off, the pollution of groundwater and the eutrophication of lakes, rivers and wetlands. || 3 hours ||
 * 4. Competing demands for water ||
 * * Conflicts at the local or national scale || Examine the competing demands for water in a specific river basin. Evaluate the strategies that have been adopted to meet these demands. || 6 hours ||
 * * Conflicts at the international scale || Discuss an example of an international conflict related to freshwater. ||^  ||

[|FLICKR]

1993 Mississippi River Flood