Water Questions 2

1) List the main reasons for water scarcity.

Because variations in climate, land degradation, population growth and water pollution

2) What is a drought? What type of hardships do you think that a drought could cause if you were living in a village in a poor country such as Ethiopia?

A drought is a period of time when no rain falls. Some hardships could occur could be shortage of food (because we need rain to make the crops grow) human death, animal death, and ecosystem reduction.

3) How does land degradation affect the supply of fresh water?

Land degradation can affect the supply of fresh water because when land is paved over, the water doesn't sink in, it runs off the cement. Then there is no way to collect it.

4) What is El Nino? Why does El Nino often cause drought in Australia?

El Nino in a heating of the ocean that happens every 3-5 years in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru. Warm, wet air is being blown across the Pacific off their normal course. But air pressure is built across the Pacific and brings high pressure over Australia. So Australia doesn't get a lot of moist air, and as a result, forms droughts.

5) Observe the map showing the global effects of El Nino in 1928-83

What effects does El Nino have on availability of fresh water?

Name the countries and describe the problems that arose from decreased rainfall caused by El Nino.

El Nino's effects to the fresh water supply are smaller water rations in the poorer countries, animal and human deaths, and crop reduction.

In the Philippines, a low rice harvest occurred followed by a drought. In Indonesia, the air pollution levels were high followed by forest fires. In Papua New Guinea, a severe crop failure occurred due to drought and soon after a famine struck. In China, the farming land was under threat from drought in the northern regions and flooding in the southern reasons. In Africa, there was a reduced corn crop in the sub-Saharan region.