The Role Of Climate Change In The Clackamas River Basin

Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are

The Earth is a huge planet this is covered by 70 percent water. Astonishingly from this 70 percent the human population can only use 1 percent of the world’s water the rest of it is salt water, frozen, or in some way unattainable (Santa Clara Valley Water District, 2016). Humans have found many different ways to obtain this 1 percent of fresh water they need, but the techniques vary depending on location. In San Jose, California we obtain our water from 3 major sources: groundwater, imported surface water, and local mountain surface water. These 3 sources contribute different amounts of water to the San Jose community. Imported surface water composes about 50 percent of our water supply, while ground water composes roughly 40 percent, and local mountain surface water composes approximately 10 percent (Santa Jose Water Company, 2016). However, these percentages can change due to factors such as weather and global warming.

Water may be a renewable resource, but the world’s supply of drinkable fresh water is being consumed more rapidly than ever before, and most importantly, more rapidly than it can be replenished. Only 2.5% of water on Earth is fresh

A report submitted to the Colorado Energy Office, titled “The Colorado Climate Change Vulnerability Study” presents key vulnerabilities the state is faced with due to climate change. The report highlights many areas, but it offers insight into negative effects from climate variability and how to adapt to them. Since the agricultural sector plays such a critical role in Colorado’s economy, its vulnerabilities are detailed at length. The report splits

Climate projections for Wisconsin indicate that increasing temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will affect both the quantity and quality of the state’s water resources. The changes will have major impacts on the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, 5.3 million acres of wetlands, 15,000 inland lakes, and 84,000 miles of streams. Due to differences in land use, soil type, groundwater characteristics, and runoff and seepage, hydrological responses will vary among geographic regions. Continuing population and socioeconomic shifts, combined with heat waves, heavy rains, and drought are expected to intensify the effects on aging infrastructure, health, agriculture, forestry, transportation, and air and water quality. This

During the spring and early summers of 2011 and 2014, the Assiniboine River Basin (ARB) in Southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba experienced extreme flood conditions with prolonged duration and severity. This persistence and shortened interval between disasters caused concerns about the impacts of climate change in the region (Brimelow, 2015). The interactions between the Atmosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, and lastly Biosphere all contributed to the events that took place during the specified flood years. I will look to address the intertwined relationship between these four spheres, and conclude with possible mitigation strategies that provinces and municipalities are likely to invest in as anthropogenic change is inevitably shortening the

Clean water is both a necessary part of continued human survival as well as an economic good , and planning for its continued use is an important part of maintaining a healthy society. The Great Lakes, which contain 21% of the world’s fresh surface water, are a critical water source in the American Midwest and Canada. While Lake Erie is the smallest of these lakes in terms of its water volume, it still is important for the large population living in its watershed. Approximately twelve million people, one third of the total population of the entire Great Lakes basin, live in the over 20,000 miles of Lake Erie’s watershed (Environmental Protection Agency, 2015).

Audience relevance: We all rely on access to fresh water for our very survival; from drinking water to hydroelectric dams, fresh water is an integral part of your everyday life.

Seattle Times reporter Sandi Doughton wrote an article about the impacts climate change is having and could potentially have in the future on the Pacific Northwest. The article outlines the findings in the third National Climate Assessment, published in 2014. The National Climate Assessment summarizes the impacts on climate change on the United States and is compiled by a team of more than 300 experts, extensively reviewed by the public and experts, and includes federal agencies and a panel of the National Academy of Sciences. The article by Doughton describes some of the controversy surrounding the report and outlines the findings specific to the PNW calling attention to the changes that will have the most widespread effects on the people, economy and environment in this area.

Environmental issues have been a big problem since the 70’s, we were warned that if we continued to treat the planet as we already were, and there would be consequences not only on the planet but humans as well. Human beings are continuously destroying the planet and in the process wasting water; yet demanding that we have fresh water for everyone. “By 2050, the global population will demand roughly 80 percent more energy and 55 percent more water than today” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adnan-z-amin/the-intersection-of-water_b_8031834.html.) Water covers about 75 percent of the earth and this gets divided into ponds, lakes and rivers. If humans were to lose water as a resource that would have a huge effect on a great many things. We would

Preserving fresh water has become the essential thing now days, due to a metropolitan growth of

In the areas where we worked previously, there were often water systems in place, but they weren't functioning according to government standards. In countries where water is more abundant and access is less of an issue, you also have to consider water quality.

The United Nations indicated that by 2025 more than 2 billion people will live in places with poor access to fresh water ,which will force 700 million people to emigrate in search of water by 2030. Like in India, 60 % of its water source is salty water, and it doesn’t generate enough electricity (due to the high cost) ,in order to desalinate water and make it drinkable or good for the plants.

Water is an essential resource for life which greatly influences our public and environmental health as well as providing the pedestal for most of our economic activities. Unsustainable use of fresh water resources, population increase, and the trend in industrial revolution have led to environmental degradation especially by the release of partially treated or untreated wastewater into aquatic systems. Thus, the global freshwater resource is at risk and majority of the problems that humanity faces in the twenty-first century are related to water quantity and/or water quality issues (UNESCO, 2009).

Water is essential for humans and many organisms on the planet to live; more specifically fresh water is essential and limited. If fresh water were to not exist then nothing would live on earth and earth would no longer be the planet that it currently is. For these reasons it is important that we do all that we can to conserve fresh water however, this is something that is easier said than done especially where the population continues to grow. The growing population has put many stressors on our environment many of which are negative. The growing population is depleting the fresh water sources as rivers and lakes run dry. People are living longer and more babies are being born than ever before. For these reasons it is important that we