Impact of Global Change on Water Resources and Water Use

Typical Exam Questions

1. What is meant by water-use efficiency and how is it affected by global change?

2. Fresh water supply and demand

What does it mean when a region has a large positive value of elasticity?
What US sector is the largest user of fresh water?
Discuss the changes in demand for fresh water in the US in the last 20 years and give a possible explanation for the trend.

3. Vulnerability of hydrologic systems to climate change:

List four of the five criteria for water supply vulnerability of a geographical region.
Name the regions of the US that are particularly vulnerable by the measures of part (a).
Name the regions of the US that are least vulnerable.
Are Iowa water supplies at risk?

4. Schaake's study of the relationship between precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff showed that when precipitation or evapotranspiration changed by 10%, significant changes in runoff can occur in certain parts of the US. Discuss this relationship.