Issues With Our Water Katie Othold 5 th Period Johnson

Global Problems The global issues today are the water shortages and the rising sea levels.

Water Shortages The rate of water being consumed is growing twice as quickly as our population increases. We are loosing freshwater due to pollution, industries, and global warming. The demand of freshwater can change the course of natural patterns. Example: rainfall, rivers changing course, competition, erosion 1/what-causes-water-shortage.html

Rising Sea Levels The ocean is rising because of thermal expansion, melting of icecaps and glaciers. Thermal expansion is the distance between neighboring water molecules, and that distance increases with the increased temperature. During ice age temperatures were 10F higher than and ocean was 430 feet higher today. In our 20 th century the ocean rose 6-8 inches, and will continue to rise.

Rising Sea Levels Other Factors: Land buildup, plate tectonic effects, sedimentation, groundwater/oil extraction, change in ocean currents, distribution changes in water cycle. In the past 100 years, fossil fuels being burnt and other human activities has released heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere and have caused Earth's surface temperature to rise, and the oceans absorb about 80 percent of this additional heat. n/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/ n/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/

Conservation Recycle Water Line Irrigation Education Construct Dams and Reservoir Change habits

Questions What is one way we can conserve? Name 2 factors that causes a rise in sea level? Why is the demand for fresh water so high? What is thermal expansion? How much has the ocean risen in the 20 th century?