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Global Water Resources Worksheet

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Global Water Resources Worksheet

You are part of a geography team advising a global water summit. Use the evidence and scenarios on this sheet to explain where freshwater is found, how people use it, and how it can be managed. Answer in complete sentences where asked.

Where is Earth’s water?

Almost all Earth’s water is salty ocean water. Of the small fraction that is freshwater, much is locked in glaciers and ice caps or stored underground. Only a tiny share is readily available in rivers and lakes. Water is continually cycled, but usable freshwater is unevenly distributed and can be overused or polluted.

1.A classmate says, “Because water moves through the water cycle, people can never run short of freshwater.” Choose the strongest response.

Correct: the water cycle makes every water source immediately available.
Incorrect: water cycles, but clean, accessible freshwater is limited and unevenly distributed.
Correct: all freshwater is stored in rivers and lakes.
Incorrect: freshwater is not part of the water cycle.

All Earth’s water (100 parts) Salty water: 97 parts Freshwater: 3 parts

Freshwater only (100 parts) Glaciers and ice: 69 parts Groundwater: 30 parts Surface water and other: 1 part

2.Using the simplified bars, how many parts out of 100 are salty water? Why might the tiny surface-water share matter greatly to people?

Water-source field notes

A water agency is classifying sources before making a plan.

3.Match each term to the best description: groundwater; blue water; green water; greywater.

Groundwater
Blue water
Green water
Greywater

Rainwater held in soil and used by plants
Water held beneath the surface in soil and rock spaces
Relatively lightly used household water that can sometimes be reused
Water in rivers, lakes and accessible aquifers

4.Classify each source as mainly surface water, groundwater or soil water: a river; water pumped from a bore; moisture used by a crop’s roots after rain.

5.From upland farms, soil and fertiliser wash into tributaries after heavy rain. Predict one effect downstream and explain the link.

Water decisions around the world

The Aral Sea in Central Asia shrank greatly after large volumes of river water were diverted to irrigate crops. The example shows that decisions about water use in one part of a basin can transform places downstream.

6.Which human activity was a major cause of the Aral Sea shrinking?

Diverting river water for irrigation
Building fishing boats
Increasing rainfall
Planting forests around the sea

7.A dry Australian town has limited river flow during a long drought. Propose two actions the town could take to reduce pressure on freshwater. Include one action households or farms could take and one action the council or water authority could take.

8.True or false: Desalination can create freshwater from seawater, but it may require substantial energy and careful management of concentrated brine.

TrueFalse

9.Climate change can alter rainfall patterns and increase the frequency or severity of droughts in some regions. Explain one way this could affect water availability and suggest one adaptation.

10.Write a short recommendation to the global water summit: name one reason freshwater needs protection and one practical action that would help. Use the word “because” or “so”.