World Water Distribution and Supply Fresh water that people can use is distributed unevenly around the world. Large portions of the world receive very little water from rainfall or rivers. This includes much of northern Africa and central Asia. Even areas that normally receive enough rain may periodically receive too little. If an area receives lower-than-normal levels of rain for several months or a year, a drought may occur. During a drought, there is not enough water to meet all the needs of the people. Human activities can contribute to the frequency and duration of droughts. For... Show more World Water Distribution and Supply Fresh water that people can use is distributed unevenly around the world. Large portions of the world receive very little water from rainfall or rivers. This includes much of northern Africa and central Asia. Even areas that normally receive enough rain may periodically receive too little. If an area receives lower-than-normal levels of rain for several months or a year, a drought may occur. During a drought, there is not enough water to meet all the needs of the people. Human activities can contribute to the frequency and duration of droughts. For example, deforestation keeps trees from returning water to the atmosphere by transpiration. This decreases the amount of water vapor in the air and the potential for clouds to form and precipitation to fall. Global warming is changing worldwide patterns of rainfall and water distribution. As the planet warms, regions that currently receive an adequate supply of rain may receive less. Regions that rely on snowmelt for water may find that there is less snow and that it melts earlier and faster in the spring. Water from the melted snow may run off and not be available through the dry summers. Over time, as global temperatures increase and human populations grow, there will be less water per person. Scientists predict that by the year 2025, nearly half of the world’s people will not have enough water to meet their daily needs. Nearly one-quarter of the world’s people will have less than 500 m3 of water to use in an entire year. That’s less water than some people in the United States currently use in a single day! As water supplies become scarcer, more conflicts will arise between nations that have enough clean water and those that do not. As with energy resources today, wars are likely to erupt in the future over limited water resources. Show less
World Water Distribution and Supply Fresh water that people can use is distributed unevenly around the world. Large portions of the world receive very little water from rainfall or rivers. This includes much of northern Africa and central Asia. Even areas that normally receive enough rain may periodically receive too little. If an area receives lower-than-normal levels of rain for several months or a year, a drought may occur. During a drought, there is not enough water to meet all the needs of the people. Human activities can contribute to the frequency and duration of droughts. For example, deforestation keeps trees from returning water to the atmosphere by transpiration. This decreases the amount of water vapor in the air and the potential for clouds to form and precipitation to fall. Global warming is changing worldwide patterns of rainfall and water distribution. As the planet warms, regions that currently receive an adequate supply of rain may receive less. Regions that rely on snowmelt for water may find that there is less snow and that it melts earlier and faster in the spring. Water from the melted snow may run off and not be available through the dry summers. Over time, as global temperatures increase and human populations grow, there will be less water per person. Scientists predict that by the year 2025, nearly half of the world’s people will not have enough water to meet their daily needs. Nearly one-quarter of the world’s people will have less than 500 m3 of water to use in an entire year. That’s less water than some people in the United States currently use in a single day! As water supplies become scarcer, more conflicts will arise between nations that have enough clean water and those that do not. As with energy resources today, wars are likely to erupt in the future over limited water resources.
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