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Axia College Material
Appendix E
Water Resource Challenges
Review Ch. 10 and 11 of your text, then complete the following:
Provide at least three freshwater and three ocean water resource challenges by filling in the following table. Then, respond to the question that follows:
Freshwater Resource Challenge | Description |
Saltwater intrusion | The movement of seawater into a fresh water aquifer near the coast. |
Aquiferdepletion | The removal of ground water faster than it can be recharged |
Overdrawing Surface water | Causes wetlands to dry up and estuaries to become saltier |
Ocean Water Resource Challenge | Description |
Overharvesting | Harvesting of marine fisheries to the point that the numbers of many species become severely depleted. Fishermen usually concentrate on a few fish species with high commercial value. |
Marine pollution | The release of trash or contaminants through commercial shipping, ocean dumping of sludge and industrial wastes and discarding of plastics that are potentially harmful to marine organisms. Marine environments are also deteriorated by coastal development and the extraction of offshore minerals |
Ocean conveyor belt | Moves cold, salty, deep-sea water from higher to lower latitudes, affecting regional and possibly global climate. |
In 200 to 300 words, respond to the following: Choose one fresh or ocean water resource challenge and describe in detail why the issue has become a problem and how human activities have contributed to the problem.
Saltwater Intrusion
Seawater that breaks into freshwater lakes, streams, ground water, and aquifers is known as saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion is more commonly found in coastal aquifers, however, where groundwater is being pumped from aquifers that are in hydraulic connection with the ocean. This has caused gradients that cause migration of saline water from the sea into a well.
While the...