Goals
On completing this module, students are expected to be able to:
- describe the processes that affect the flow of water in aquifers;
- explain how human activity is impacting the quality of water;
- predict how climate change will affect water supply in different locations;
- propose strategies to cope with an increasingly thirsty planet.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, students should be able to explain the following concepts:
- the uneven distribution of water on Earth’s surface
- how water is cycled near the Earth’s surface
- behavior of water in aquifers
- the concepts of permeability, porosity, water table
- causes of land subsidence
- causes of cone of depression and groundwater contamination
- arsenic groundwater contamination crisis
- cause of saltwater incursion
- climate change predictions for water supply
- drought and its consequences in different parts of the globe
- water management, including desalinization
- the growing battle over water in the western US