GEOG 2050 Chapter : Chapter Nine
Document Summary
Water resources: droughts, too many people, too much agriculture, planning still supply focused. Surface water precipitation reaching the earth"s surface follow two basic pathways: All of the evaporation on the planet equals the amount of precipitation! More than 97% of earth"s water is in the ocean. 3% is available in ground water, frozen water not much for us: flows overland, or soaks into the soil. Along the way, interception occurs when precipitation hits plants or other ground cover: drains across plant leaves and down stems to the ground = stem flow, falls directly into the ground = throughfall. Water soaks into the ground through infiltration penetration of soil surface. It travels further into soil or rock through the downward movement of percolation. Soil-water-budget: an effective way to assess water resources for any area of earth"s surface (everything from a continent to your backyard) Can examine any time frame (minutes to years)
