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We all have a role:

WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

The quality of water in a river or lake is influenced by both natural factors and how people use the land around it.

Everyone is responsible for the health of the watershed and the water systems within it.

Our actions, good or bad, have an impact on our water supply.

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CSI: Water & Diseases

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Investigative Questions

What is the role of water in transmitting diseases and in human/animal wellness?
How do the characteristics of environments that promote the transmission of diseases change with a changing climate?

WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

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WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

Climate change is a long-term shift in global and regional weather patterns and temperatures. While these shifts can be natural, the current rapid change is driven by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

Climate Change

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Global Warming & Green House Effect

Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s surface observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.

WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

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Key Human Activities

WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

Burning Fossil Fuels

The combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity, transport, and industry is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Deforestation

Forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Deforestation not only releases stored carbon but also eliminates a vital tool for regulating the climate.

Agriculture & Livestock

Agricultural practices, particularly livestock farming, produce large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Fertilizers also release nitrous oxide.

Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)

Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆)

Methane (CH4)

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) is a colorless, odorless gas consisting of molecules made up of two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom. Carbon dioxide is produced when an organic carbon compound (such as wood) or fossilized organic matter, (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) is burned in the presence of oxygen.

Methane (CH₄) is a colorless, odorless non-toxic gas consisting of molecules made up of four hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom. Methane is combustible, and it is the main constituent of natural gas-a fossil fuel. Human sources include the mining of fossil fuels and transportation of natural gas, digestive processes in ruminant animals such as cattle, rice paddies and the buried waste in landfills.

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a colorless, non-flammable gas with a sweetish odor, commonly known as "laughing gas", and sometimes used as an anesthetic. Nitrous oxide is naturally produced in the oceans and in rainforests. Man-made sources of nitrous oxide include the use of fertilizers in agriculture, nylon and nitric acid production, cars with catalytic converters and the burning of organic matter.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. SF₆ is very persistent, with an atmospheric lifetime of more than a thousand years. SF₆ is human-made, and the primary user of SF₆ is the electric power industry. SF₆ is used extensively in high voltage circuit breakers and switchgear, and in the magnesium metal casting industry.

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WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

Because the Earth is a system where everything is connected, changes in one area causes changes in other systems (precipitation, sea levels, catastrophic storms, water scarcity and declining biodiversity).

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Waterborne Diseases

Students learn about how a changing climate may affect waterborne and vector diseases.
They search for others who have been “infected” with the same disease as they have, learning and sharing about each disease.

WATERSHEDS & CLIMATE: Lesson 3

Activity:

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Now think about how this activity might play into the case file?

Provide Lead #4 after lesson

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

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Wrap-Up

Systems and System Models

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Cause and Effect

Lesson 3

Better understanding the role of water in transmitting diseases helps us be more aware of human/animal wellness.
So how do you think climate change and new extremes will affect disease and water quality?

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Close the Case

Final Test Results

Final Case Synopsis

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My Water Footprint

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Investigative Questions

How much water do I use daily?
Why is water use called a water footprint?
How can I be a better water steward?

SUSTAINABILITY & STEWARDSHIP:

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Direct Water Use

Water you use directly to do something immediately. Water that is seen, felt and used at that given time. When you turn on your faucet or hose for water.

Indirect Water Use

The water used to produce the goods and services we all enjoy. It is the water hidden or not seen by the end-user during the process or manufacturing of a good or service.

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It reveals water use patterns, from the individual level all the way to the national level.
It shines a light on the water used in all the processes involved in manufacturing and producing our goods. It also accounts for water contaminated during manufacturing and production.
A water footprint is measured in terms of the volume of water consumed, evaporated and polluted.

SUSTAINABILITY & STEWARDSHIP:

What is a Water Footprint?

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SUSTAINABILITY & STEWARDSHIP:

Your daily choices and actions can add up to make a positive difference.

BE THE TIDAL WAVE OF CHANGE!

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Splashing into Solutions

You Have the Power!

What is Water Conservation?

What is Water Efficiency?

Beneficial reduction in water loss, waste or use by changing behavior to use less water.

Minimize the amount of water used to accomplish a function or task. Doing more with less water. Normally relies on well-engineered products and fixtures or technology

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There is hope! What do we notice in 1980? Passes the 1980 Groundwater Management Act…

1980 we had 2.7 million people but we were using over 9 million acre-feet of water

2019 we have over 7 million people and we are using under 7 million acre-feet of water – that is pretty incredible

through significant investments in water conservation and infrastructure and the reuse of water, our water use is essentially the same as it was more than half a century ago.

What is an acre foot of water? = enough water to cover an acre of land a foot deep = 326,000 gallons (about the size of a football field a foot deep).

According to the ADWR – The average number of homes served annually by an acre-foot of water actually increases to 3.5 when all of Arizona’s five “Active Management Areas” are taken into account. There are many variables but this is how cities look at development of new homes.

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I PLEDGE to be a water steward, to do my best to make smart choices and take actions that help conserve and keep our water supply clean.

Take the PLEDGE: