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Water - Quality and Sustainability - Coggle Diagram
Water - Quality and Sustainability
Floods and Scarcity
Flooding in fact causes dead fish due to the decrease in oxygen levels in the water as a greater amount of organic material is introduced
Biologist: What is the optimal amount of oxygen that is required for the survival of aquatic specimens?
Are becoming more and more frequent due to climate change making the weather effects that cause them (heavy rain, drought) much more extreme
Extended periods of droughts means that many people living in areas not directly connected or near to the ocean such as central Africa and Asia may find it difficult to get the water that they crucially need for survival
Pollution
Algal bloom, occurs when excess nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates entre the water body
Mainly occurs due to runoff from agricultural land, particular from fertiliser use which contains a large amount of these chemicals
Harmful to both humans and animals, reducing the amount of oxygen in the water as well as causing poisoning
Biologist: Investigate the health issues that algal bloom causes and how it can potentially be treated or avoided
Urban and Land Management
93 percent of all Australian households have easy access to water but are also one of the highest water consumers in the world using around 274 litres of water per person per day
Many houses have rainwater tanks which are able to collect water easily when raining, allowing for more sustainable use
Streets are lined with gutters and drains that both help prevent flooding and slips on the road as well as helping to collect water for recyclage use
Irrigation and Agricultural Land Use
Erosion/Sediments control
Building up environments such as wetlands
Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Fast-flowing, slow-moving, still water
Biologist: How do different evolutionary traits of specimens benefit them to suit ther aquatic habitats?
Physicist: What is the movement of the water in relation to its quality or characteristics for human use?
Freshwater (rivers, lakes, wetlands) vs Marine (oceans, coral reefs)
Chemist: What are the chemical traits of water in differing locations and environments?
Groundwater and Geology
Groundwater is reserves of water found beneath the Earth's surface in the form of aquifiers, porous holes in soil and rocks
Can escape at points such as springs and water bodies like rivers and lakes
Drawn out through roots for the purpose of plant transpiraton
Can be extracted through the use of aquifiers that serve similarly to wells bringing water through pipes to the surface
Physicist: Find optimal piping and transport systems that can be used to efficiently transport more groundwater for human use
Future of Water
As water continues to be one of the most important factors for human survival, our methods of management and use will have to continue to develop along with rising concerns such as climate change.
Water has been found in Mars in very small amounts as polar caps and underground reservoirs. Because of this, in the far future, if much of the water of Earth becomes unuseable, then it is possible that humanity could find use or habitat there.
Chemist: See how the water sources on Mars compare to those on Earth, and if they could serve any potential use
Sustainable technology to minimise leaks and encourage recycling
Salinity and Oxygenation
Water having high salinity means that humans are not able to drink from it, and it could also be detrimental to plants that attempt to use it
Reverse Osmosis (forcing water through a particular material that filters out substances such as salt)
Distillation (boiling to create steam to be condensed back into water)
Biologist/Chemist: Investigate salt water and its potential special uses such as for benefitting the growth of a specific plant or preserving food products
Have an opposite relationship - as more salt is introduces, the water loses its capacity to store oxygen known as salting out
Consumption of oxygenated supposedly water has benefits for athletic performance and medical recovery but only because it encourages you to drink larger amounts of water
Biologist: Is there any use in introducing oxygenated water for the purpose of its health benefits, or do the negatives outweigh them?
Recycling
Stormwater - Rain that flows into drains, generally one of the cleanest sources for use
Wastewater
Grey water - water from hand basins, showers, washing machines, and other household appliances, could serve as a secondary option
Chemist: Find ways that grey water can be purified properly to be safe for human use while also in a way that people will not be averse to
Blackwater - water from toilets and kitchen sinks, a work in progress as many people are averse to the idea
Currently mainly used for agricultural and non-consumptory areas