- Using hydrological
and climatological textbooks and the Internet, find a map showing
the global coverage of precipitation gauges. Have a look at where
the gauges are located in terms of geographical location, areas
of relief, and political boundaries (i.e. countries).
Try to answer the following questions:
(a) Is the cover of gauges is uniformly
spaced across the world?
(b) Are there areas where the number
of gauges is more than other locations?
(c) What may be the reasons for
the distribution of gauges?
(d) Do you think that the density
of the gauge network follows that recommended
by the World Meteorological Organization
(see Chapter 5)?
(e) Is it likely that the gauges
are of similar technology and accuracy?
(f) What accuracy can be
given to figures of world precipitation totals as
shown in Figure 9.2?
- Click
here to go to the webpage of the National River Flow Archive:
( http://www.nerc-wallingford.ac.uk/ih/nrfa/index.htm)
(a) Click
on the link to go to ‘River Flow Data: Time Series Downloads’
(b)
Select a gauging station in the UK that has data from 1985 to
the present day
(c)
Download the data files (click on link: ‘Long term data
file’) and plot the discharge to
show the time series.
Look at the winter high flows and summer low flows.
Are there any years that stand out as having particularly high
or low flows that
might be classed as ‘flood’ or ‘drought’
years?
What are your criteria for identifying such years?
3.
The creation of dams is highly controversial subject. Their construction
allows
the
generation of hydroelectric power and storage of water for multiple
uses.
However,
it also has a large number of socio-economic and environmental
impacts.
Find a recent example
of a dam development project.
(a) What is the
reason for the dam construction?
(b) What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the dam?
(c) Who will
be the beneficiaries, and who will be the losers?
4. Download
the WHO’s publication ‘Emerging
issues in water and infectious diseases’:
(a)
Go to the webpage of the WHO: http://www.who.int/en/
(b) Click on
the link to WHO Sites and then click ‘w’ and click
on the link to ‘Water
Sanitation and Health (WSH)’
(c) Click on the link to ‘Emerging
issues in water and infectious disease’
(d) Click the link to read the review of ‘Emerging
issues in water and infectious disease’
and download the document
(e) (Click
here for a direct link to this report. If this link
becomes unbroken try typing the name of
the report in the WHO search box.)
Read
the document and then answer the following questions:
(a) What are
emerging pathogens and why do they emerge?
(b) What technologies are available
to treat water?
(c) What
have been the changes in human behaviour to make us more vulnerable?
5. Go
to the webpage of WaterAid, an international charity that focuses
on the provision of
safe drinking water: http://www.wateraid.org.uk
(a) Click
on the link for the ‘Learn Zone’.
(b)
From the drop down list select ‘teachers’ then ‘general
resources’ and then ‘development
issue sheets’.
(c) Select
two issue sheets and download them. Read each one and write a
summery of the key issues and problems.
(d)
What might be suitable solutions or strategies to help alleviate
the problems or change the situation?
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