GEOL 150: Water Resources (3)
Prerequisite: GEOL 100 or 101. A seminar examining the quality and quantity of water resources as a limiting factor for future generations. Issues include resource depletion, pollution, historical use and abuse, remediation, and habitat maintenance. Resource constraints are analyzed from a scientific perspective in order to understand or predict water resource problems and solutions. (SC,GE5c)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A Brief Course Description...
Water is a natural substance and one of the most common compounds found near the surface of the Earth. It is essential, in its pure form, to the health and very existence of all natural ecosystems and, quite possibly all life. Water plays an important role in abiotic systems as well and has been around in large quantities on Earth for at least 4.4 billion years (Wilde et al., 2001)- predating the arrival of our species considerably. Our concern for this course, however, is not the function and importance of water as it cycles endlessly though natural systems; rather, we will focus upon the complex interaction between our species and the water within our natural and modified environment as we attempt to understand fresh water as a resource (a physical entity of limited availability and economic, aesthetic, legal, and/or ethical value). To put it succinctly, we will concern ourselves with how we as humans use water. With the exception of saline water incursion into fresh water aquifers, will will be concentrating entirely on terrestrial water. If you are more interested in marine systems, you should look into GEOL 155 (Oceanography) as an alternative to this course.
Understanding water resources requires the consideration of a multitude of factors. As the illustration below indicates, our water resources course will combine discussions about physical hydrology, government regulation, and the private interest that are playing a larger and larger role in the water that we consume. Since I anticipate that very few of the students that take this course will actually find their way into a profession that involves direct action within the realm of public or private water supply, disposal, et cetera, this course will also have substantial portion of material dedicated to helping students understand how their personal decisions affect the hydrosphere on local, national, and international levels.
Physical Hydrology: In order to appreciate the limits, options, and consequences, of how we as individuals, companies, and societies use water, we must develop a firm understanding of the fundamentals of physical science as it applies to freshwater hydrologic systems (rivers, lakes, and groundwater). To this end, we will study how water moves through the global hydrologic cycle and through regional surface waters (riparian and lacustrine) and through groundwater. We will study the impacts of dams, chemical pollution (both natural and anthropogenic), the cyclically of flooding events, and withdrawing water from systems at rates that exceed natural rates of replenishment. We will also discuss future changes to the Earth's hydrologic systems that are predicted as a result of anthropogenic global climate disruption.
Government Oversight: In the USA, both water supply and non-supply (sanitation, hydroelectric, recreational, et cetera) resources have been largely under the control of federal, state, and local governments for much of our history. We will discuss the role of our government in providing water resource infrastructure, safe drinking water, and the legal framework for proportioning water between its citizens. We will also discuss governments abroad, their internal dealings, and the role of water resources in determining the nature of interactions between governments.
Commercial Interests: While the vast majority of water supply and sanitation systems are publicly controlled (90% globally?), there is a trend toward privatization of these systems both nationally and globally. We will discuss the consequences of these trends both for the natural environment and for consumers of water. In doing so, we will examine communities both domestically (I would welcome suggestions from students for specific communities of interest) and abroad (Bolivia, England) that have "decided" to privatize their water supply systems.
Personal Consumption: Residents of the USA use an average of 1797 gallons per person per day (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2007). While our per capita water usage is, apparently decreasing (Kenny et al., 2009), it is still the highest in the world. Only 9% of this water is used in a domestic capacity with the rest playing a vital role in producing the agricultural (59%) or industrial (32%) products that we consume (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2007). Needless to say, we, as a society use huge quantities of water in order to sustain our current standard of living; and, while our personal decisions are made within the context of the choices that are provided by our public and private vectors of water resources and, of course, the limits of the natural world, we do have the ability to drastically reduce our personal water consumption thereby lessening our noticeable impacts both on our natural environment and the availability of water for our fellow humans. To this end, we will discuss concepts of virtual (embedded) water and the water footprint of the products that we consume and our role as individuals in minimizing anthropogenic water pollution. We will discuss the quality of the local (municipal) water that we drink here in Lexington and the safety of the water that we use for recreation.
Understanding water resources requires the consideration of a multitude of factors. As the illustration below indicates, our water resources course will combine discussions about physical hydrology, government regulation, and the private interest that are playing a larger and larger role in the water that we consume. Since I anticipate that very few of the students that take this course will actually find their way into a profession that involves direct action within the realm of public or private water supply, disposal, et cetera, this course will also have substantial portion of material dedicated to helping students understand how their personal decisions affect the hydrosphere on local, national, and international levels.
Physical Hydrology: In order to appreciate the limits, options, and consequences, of how we as individuals, companies, and societies use water, we must develop a firm understanding of the fundamentals of physical science as it applies to freshwater hydrologic systems (rivers, lakes, and groundwater). To this end, we will study how water moves through the global hydrologic cycle and through regional surface waters (riparian and lacustrine) and through groundwater. We will study the impacts of dams, chemical pollution (both natural and anthropogenic), the cyclically of flooding events, and withdrawing water from systems at rates that exceed natural rates of replenishment. We will also discuss future changes to the Earth's hydrologic systems that are predicted as a result of anthropogenic global climate disruption.
Government Oversight: In the USA, both water supply and non-supply (sanitation, hydroelectric, recreational, et cetera) resources have been largely under the control of federal, state, and local governments for much of our history. We will discuss the role of our government in providing water resource infrastructure, safe drinking water, and the legal framework for proportioning water between its citizens. We will also discuss governments abroad, their internal dealings, and the role of water resources in determining the nature of interactions between governments.
Commercial Interests: While the vast majority of water supply and sanitation systems are publicly controlled (90% globally?), there is a trend toward privatization of these systems both nationally and globally. We will discuss the consequences of these trends both for the natural environment and for consumers of water. In doing so, we will examine communities both domestically (I would welcome suggestions from students for specific communities of interest) and abroad (Bolivia, England) that have "decided" to privatize their water supply systems.
Personal Consumption: Residents of the USA use an average of 1797 gallons per person per day (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2007). While our per capita water usage is, apparently decreasing (Kenny et al., 2009), it is still the highest in the world. Only 9% of this water is used in a domestic capacity with the rest playing a vital role in producing the agricultural (59%) or industrial (32%) products that we consume (Hoekstra and Chapagain, 2007). Needless to say, we, as a society use huge quantities of water in order to sustain our current standard of living; and, while our personal decisions are made within the context of the choices that are provided by our public and private vectors of water resources and, of course, the limits of the natural world, we do have the ability to drastically reduce our personal water consumption thereby lessening our noticeable impacts both on our natural environment and the availability of water for our fellow humans. To this end, we will discuss concepts of virtual (embedded) water and the water footprint of the products that we consume and our role as individuals in minimizing anthropogenic water pollution. We will discuss the quality of the local (municipal) water that we drink here in Lexington and the safety of the water that we use for recreation.
Possible reading material for GEOL 150
Below are some of the readings that you might expect to read for this course. The list, of course, will expand in the future (consequently, some titles will be abandoned). This list is not intended to be exhaustive, rather it is to provide a look at the sort of titles you will be reading should you choose to enroll in this course.
Our primary text will chosen from one of the two following titles:
Applied Principles of Hydrology 3rd Edition by John C Manning
Principles of Water Resources 3rd Edition History, Development, Management, and Policy by Thomas V Cech
The main text will be supplemented by extensive reading from the following titles...
...one of the following books addressing the North American water crisis...
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner
Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do about It by Robert Glennon
Not a Drop to Drink: America's Water Crisis (and What You Can Do) by Ken Midkiff
Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters by Robert Glennon
...one of the following books addressing the global water crisis...
Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water
by Maude Barlow
Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva
Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It by Paul Simon
...other possible titles...
Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte
Atchafalay excerpt from The Control of Nature by John Mcphee
Silenced Rivers by Patrick Mccully
Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen (yes, this is a children's book)
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 (AR4) Working Group II Report "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" Chapter 3: Fresh Water Resources and their Management
Water 2025 (DOI Report)
World Water in 2025: Global modeling and scenario analysis for the World Commision on Water for the 21th Century (.pdf) by Joseph Alcamo, Thomas Henrichs, and Thomas Rosch
SABMiller and WWF-UK (2009) Water footprinting: Identifying & addressing water risks in the value chain, SABMiller, Woking, UK / WWF-UK, Goldalming, UK
Kenny, J.F., Barber, N.L., Hutson, S.S., Linsey, K.S., Lovelace, J.K., and Maupin, M.A., 2009, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344, 52 p.
DeSimone, L.A., Hamilton, P.A., Gilliom, R.J., 2009, Quality of water from domestic wells in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004—Overview of major findings: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1332, 48 p.
Our primary text will chosen from one of the two following titles:
Applied Principles of Hydrology 3rd Edition by John C Manning
Principles of Water Resources 3rd Edition History, Development, Management, and Policy by Thomas V Cech
The main text will be supplemented by extensive reading from the following titles...
...one of the following books addressing the North American water crisis...
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition by Marc Reisner
Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do about It by Robert Glennon
Not a Drop to Drink: America's Water Crisis (and What You Can Do) by Ken Midkiff
Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters by Robert Glennon
...one of the following books addressing the global water crisis...
Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water
by Maude Barlow
Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva
Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It by Paul Simon
...other possible titles...
Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte
Atchafalay excerpt from The Control of Nature by John Mcphee
Silenced Rivers by Patrick Mccully
Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen (yes, this is a children's book)
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 (AR4) Working Group II Report "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" Chapter 3: Fresh Water Resources and their Management
Water 2025 (DOI Report)
World Water in 2025: Global modeling and scenario analysis for the World Commision on Water for the 21th Century (.pdf) by Joseph Alcamo, Thomas Henrichs, and Thomas Rosch
SABMiller and WWF-UK (2009) Water footprinting: Identifying & addressing water risks in the value chain, SABMiller, Woking, UK / WWF-UK, Goldalming, UK
Kenny, J.F., Barber, N.L., Hutson, S.S., Linsey, K.S., Lovelace, J.K., and Maupin, M.A., 2009, Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344, 52 p.
DeSimone, L.A., Hamilton, P.A., Gilliom, R.J., 2009, Quality of water from domestic wells in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004—Overview of major findings: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1332, 48 p.
Should I take this course?
You should take this course if...
...you need to fulfill the university FDR SC or the GE5 requirement.
...you have a sincere interest in the natural world and how humans interact with that world
...you want to know the difference between paper water and wet water
...you are an ES major/minor or are interested in the possibility of becoming one
...you consume water at least once a week
You should not take this course if...
...you dislike reading- we will be reading a lot this winter!
...you become easily frustrated when dealing with extremely complex systems. The Earth is a complex system on its own. Adding humans and their interaction with the natural world and with each other into the mix and we can only hope to salvage some insight into all of this when the dust clears.
...you need to fulfill the university FDR SC or the GE5 requirement.
...you have a sincere interest in the natural world and how humans interact with that world
...you want to know the difference between paper water and wet water
...you are an ES major/minor or are interested in the possibility of becoming one
...you consume water at least once a week
You should not take this course if...
...you dislike reading- we will be reading a lot this winter!
...you become easily frustrated when dealing with extremely complex systems. The Earth is a complex system on its own. Adding humans and their interaction with the natural world and with each other into the mix and we can only hope to salvage some insight into all of this when the dust clears.
Who is teaching this course?
My name is Dr. Paul Low and I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of Geology (started this fall) and I am very excited to be teaching Water Resources this winter. In addition to this course, I teach General Geology with Field Emphasis, Earth Materials I: Rocks and Minerals, and Environmental Field Methods. In the past, I have taught courses in mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, environmental geology, and a course called The Ecology and Geology of the Connecticut River Valley. My academic area of expertise is in the field of igneous petrology and high-temperature geochemistry; specifically, I study differentiation within mafic and ultramafic magmatic systems and how this can be recorded via minute variations in mineral composition and texture.
In addition to my work on high-temperature plutonic systems, I have worked for several years as an field biologist specializing in designing and implementing qualitative and quantitative field surveys assessing the spatial distribution of endangered freshwater mussels in New England. Surveying for mussels requires long hours of swimming (snorkeling) upstream while scanning the river bed for creatures that have spent millions of years of evolutionary capital on trying to look as much like the rocks that comprise their habitat. Somewhere along the way, I have developed an interest- both academic and personal in understanding the degree to which we (humans) modify our environment and the far-reaching effects of these modifications. Mussels, for instance are very robust when it comes to dealing with anthropogenic pollution (in fact, as filter feeders, they actively concentrate many toxins thereby improving water quality). Their reproductive cycle, however, is greatly affected by the fragmentation of their habitat by dams, poorly designed culverts, and other physical barriers that are in place as a result of human water resource infrastructure.
If you have questions about the course, please drop by A223 (in the Science Addition) or e-mail lowp (at) wlu (dot) edu
In addition to my work on high-temperature plutonic systems, I have worked for several years as an field biologist specializing in designing and implementing qualitative and quantitative field surveys assessing the spatial distribution of endangered freshwater mussels in New England. Surveying for mussels requires long hours of swimming (snorkeling) upstream while scanning the river bed for creatures that have spent millions of years of evolutionary capital on trying to look as much like the rocks that comprise their habitat. Somewhere along the way, I have developed an interest- both academic and personal in understanding the degree to which we (humans) modify our environment and the far-reaching effects of these modifications. Mussels, for instance are very robust when it comes to dealing with anthropogenic pollution (in fact, as filter feeders, they actively concentrate many toxins thereby improving water quality). Their reproductive cycle, however, is greatly affected by the fragmentation of their habitat by dams, poorly designed culverts, and other physical barriers that are in place as a result of human water resource infrastructure.
If you have questions about the course, please drop by A223 (in the Science Addition) or e-mail lowp (at) wlu (dot) edu
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)