8.3: Global Water Distribution Use

Introduction to Environmental Science · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Most of the water on the planet is in oceans and unavailable for human consumption due to its high salinity (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)).

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Graphical representation of available water: water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html

    Of all the water in the world, only about 0.64% is fresh water that is available for consumption (the other fresh water is locked up in ice). Of this available fresh water, 98.4% is found as groundwater below the surface of the Earth and only 1.4% is surface water in rivers and lakes.

    The largest percentage of water withdrawn in the US goes to thermoelectric cooling (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)). In some countries, such as Egypt, irrigation accounts for over 70% of water withdrawn. Irrigation is water that is applied by a water system to sustain plant growth. Irrigation also includes water that is used for frost protection, application of chemicals, weed control, field preparation, crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, and leaching salts from the root zone.

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    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Estimated 2010 water withdrawals. Irrigation and thermoelectric power usages account for most water withdrawals. water.usgs.gov/watuse/images/...y-pie-2010.png More water use terminology can be found at: water.usgs.gov/watuse/wuglossary.html

    This page titled 8.3: Global Water Distribution Use was last modified on Thu, 21 Jul 2022 01:35:15 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Caralyn Zehnder, Kalina Manoylov, Samuel Mutiti, Christine Mutiti, Allison VandeVoort, and Donna Bennett (GALILEO Open Learning Materials) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.