Water

What is water and where is water found?

• Water in various physical states

o Water vapour (gaseous)

o Water (liquid)

o Ice (solid)

• Water stores and their distribution

o Oceans

o Glaciers

o Rivers

o Lakes

o Groundwater

o Soil

Why is water available on Earth?

• Continuous supply of water through the hydrological cycle

o Evaporation

o Transpiration

o Condensation

o Precipitation

o Infiltration

o Percolation

o Surface runoff

o Groundwater flow

• Water budget within a catchment

o Water surplus

o Water deficit

What relationships does water have with (i) the environment and (ii) people?

• Relationship between water and the environment

o Changing availability of water due to variations in precipitation

• Occurrence of floods due to excessive rainfall

• Occurrence of droughts due to lack of rainfall over a prolonged period of time

o Support of river ecosystems

• Relationship between water and people

o Domestic use (e.g., washing, cooking)

o Recreational use (e.g., water sports, fishing)

o Agricultural use (e.g., wet rice cultivation, livestock rearing)

o Industrial use (e.g., hydropower, as a cleaning agent in wafer fabrication)

• Pollution of water stores affecting the quality and availability of water

o Threat to aquatic ecosystems

• Reduced availability of water for people’s use

How can these relationships be sustainably managed?

• Sustainable management of water resources in Singapore and other countries

o Improve water quality (e.g., anti-pollution laws)

o Reduce water consumption (e.g., water conservation efforts)

o Improve water technologies (e.g., desalination)

o Import water (e.g. international agreement)