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Writing Assignment #3 Essays (200 points total). 1. Discuss the issues of drinking water availability and quality in the Southwestern U.S., including San Diego County. In your essay, include a discussion of:     local climate population changes, especially since World War II local vs. imported water "waste" treatment and recycling attitudes ("toilet to tap") Your answer should be no less than 700 words. 2. (100 points) Explain the issues of Climate Change. In your essay, include discussions of:       greenhouse gases, comparing Earth to Venus and Mars the Keeling Curve, extrapolated back 800,000 years ice ages, including the one we're in now sea level: past, present and future ocean acidification methane released from permafrost and ocean floor Your answer should be no less than 700 words. (100 points) For these questions, check the "Study Materials" in the folder above and also study the links and videos in Blackboard. Study Guide for Water Resources (extracted from an assignment in Environmental Geology) Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink. Samuel Coleridge Water is the one Earth resource that all life absolutely, positively has to have to exist. We humans can (and will, probably) be able to live without fossil fuels, but we must have water. Before you begin, be sure you have: 1. studied the appropriate chapters (16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21) in your text, and successfully completed the homework on same. 2. examined all of the extra materials in the Mastering Study Area pertaining to these chapters 3. watched the Earth Revealed video #21 on groundwater (in Videos in Blackboard) THE BIG PICTURE: History of water in the west, beginning with John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell was the amazing one-armed Civil War Major (arm lost at the battle of Shiloh), who was a geologist from Illinois who led the first expedition to explore the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest in general. There is a book that everyone in the American West should read. It is called Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, written by Marc Reisner (1986). From about 100 degrees west longitude to the Pacific Ocean, the American West has a long history of too little water to support civilizations that have developed there, going as far back as the Anasazi, more than a thousand years ago. You could buy this book from Amazon as a Kindle edition (http://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised-ebook/dp/B001RTKIUA) or at least read the WikiPedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Desert to get a general idea of the subject. I have found PDF's of the first four chapters of the book online, and they can be found on blackboard in the same area you see this file. Next, consider our current predicament in California. I'll begin with a deliberately provocative statement: Southern California is a DESERT! When Cabrillo "discovered" San Diego by landing at Point Loma in 1542, the vegetation would have looked very much like the chaparral seen when you hike down the Bayside Trail. There is no similarity between that landscape and what we see in our urban and suburb and residential neighborhoods. Southern California, including San Diego, lives on imported water, brought to us via great aqueducts from Northern California and the Colorado River. The population of San Diego County has exploded from approximately 200,000 just before World War II to over 3,000,000 today. Let's look at some contemporary problems with our use and abuse of H 2O in the American West. Case Study A. Groundwater as a renewable resource The Ogallala Aquifer is a body of sediments (now, sedimentary rock) that accumulated from streams flowing eastward from the Rocky Mountains from about 18 million through 5 million years ago. It is now a body of rock that ranges between 0 and 400 feet thick, and extends from the Colorado Front Range east as far as eastern Nebraska, north to southern South Dakota, and south to West Texas, near Midland and Odessa. This map, pulled from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer) shows the extent and thickness of the Ogallala Aquifer. Recharge of this water resource occurs at the mountain front, and the water slowly percolates to the east, where it gets pumped out of the ground relatively quickly. Much of this agricultural land used to be “dry-land” farmed – that is, they used whatever rainfall Mother Nature gave them. But advances in technology allowed the introduction of center-pivot irrigation, pumping lots of water out of the Ogallala Aquifer, greening the high plains in more ways than one. The picture above is a Google Earth image of Guymon (in the Oklahoma Panhandle) – most of the green dots are individual half-mile diameter plots with a single center-pivot system feeding water to them. Please study the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer, and then watch this video: Water Scarcity on the Texas High Plains: The Ogallala Aquifer (http://cookingupastory.com/water-scarcity-on-the-texas-high-plains-the-ogallala-aquifer). Case Study B. Bottled Water This is a subject I feel strongly about: an economic and ecological disaster on many levels. In class, I’ve been known to foam at the mouth, but you’ll be spared that spectacle. “Who owns the water?” is a question that Americans have struggled with since the early days of westward expansion. We live in a county that averages less than 10 inches of annual precipitation, which classifies it as a virtual desert. We import water from the Sacramento River Delta via the California Aqueduct and from the Colorado River via various aqueducts. Some water is captured from runoff from local rainfall. Yet we have lush lawns and gardens that require that we irrigate with this water imported at great expense. The quality of municipal tap water is carefully monitored, and the results of testing are carefully monitored. However, many people spend considerable money on individual bottles of drinking, which costs more per gallon than gasoline, but don’t know what impurities it might contain. Three large multinational companies (Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Pepsi) produce a substantial portion of this water. Please study the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water, especially the section “Bottled water versus tap water.” Next, watch the video “Tapped” (2009), which you’ll find in Blackboard and check out the official web site for the movie at http://www.tappedmovie.com/ - note that there is a LOT of attempted manipulation of the information by the powers-that-be, so read everything with a jaundiced eye! Read all of “The Issues” discussed from the home page. Case Study C. Fracking Hydraulic Fracturing, or “Fracking”, is a method of extracting natural gas from subsurface reservoirs that weren’t available by simply drilling and pumping. This is accomplished by drilling a vertical hole down to the rock layer of interest, then drilling horizontally within that layer, which is typically shale (an aquiclude). Then, to get the natural gas to flow, the rock is fractured by pumping various chemicals under high pressure into the deep layer. Generally, the vertical drill-hole passes through aquifers used by local citizens for their drinking water, so the gas well must be carefully lined and sealed to prevent contamination of drinking water. You may have seen advertisements from the oil industry indicating that they are being very careful in their extraction, but the results so far have been mixed, to try to be fair. Here’s yet another Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing, noting the graphic illustrating how it works, and consider the chemicals used which could potentially contaminate groundwater. Another documentary video: “Meet the Frackers” – it can be viewed in YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GAEXh63k3w or downloaded from Blackboard as an MPEG-4 file. Case Study D. "Waste" Water Treatment OK, so you've brought drinking water to your residence from hundreds of miles away, at great expense. You took showers, made coffee, made soup, washed your dishes, watered the lawn and flushed the toilet. Now what to do with the soiled water? Assuming you live in a city which is part of a sewage treatment district, away it goes to some sort of a facility to "treat" (hopefully, purify) the water to return it to the water supply. Think Hydrologic Cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, etc. I live in Point Loma, near San Diego's major sewage treatment facility, the history of which can be found at http://www.sandiego.gov/mwwd/general/history.shtml - check it out. Note what is done with the "treated" water. There is a long pipe which delivers the water into about 300 feet of water in the ocean 4.5 miles west of the plant, which you can see in the Google Earth image here. This water cost a lot to procure, so why do we just throw it away? Where is "away" anyway? There have been may attempts over the years to bring this "waste" water back into the reservoirs or groundwater aquifers, but with no success thus far. Reason number one is the "ick" factor calling the project "toilet to tap" is not a good marketing ploy. But if you watched the Earth Revealed video on groundwater you learned that Orange County has been doing just this kind of recycling for over 20 years! Further, the water we import from the Colorado River has already passed through the wastewater treatment plants of many communities along the river, including Las Vegas. Ultimately, all water is "toilet to tap" - most of the water on Earth has been here for billions of years. CLIMATE CHANGE 2013 The Physical Science Basis Working Group I Fact Sheet The Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGI AR5) provides a comprehensive assessment of the physical science basis of climate change. The report was developed by an international team of scientists who were selected in May 2010. It went through a multi-stage review process involving expert reviewers and governments. It will be presented to the IPCC member governments for approval and acceptance in September 2013. The Report 1 Scoping Meeting to outline 14 Chapters § Over 1000 nominations from 63 countries § 209 Lead Authors and 50 Review Editors from 39 countries § Over 600 Contributing Authors from 32 countries § Over 2 million gigabytes of numerical data from climate model simulations § Over 9200 scientific publications cited § § The First Order Draft Expert Review § Nearly 1500 individuals registered § 21,400 comments from 659 Expert Reviewers from 47 countries § The Second Order Draft Expert and Government Review § Over 1500 individuals registered § 31,422 comments from 800 Expert Reviewers from 46 countries and 26 Governments § The Final Government Distribution § 1855 comments from 32 Governments on the Final Draft Summary for Policymakers § Total Reviews § 54,677 comments § 1089 Expert Reviewers from 55 countries § 38 Governments § The WGI Approval Session § 23-26 September 2013, Stockholm, Sweden § The Summary for Policymakers will be approved line-by-line by up to 195 Governments § WGI Technical Support Unit ž c/o University of Bern Zaehringerstrasse 25 ž 3012 Bern ž Switzerland telephone +41 31 631 5616 ž fax +41 31 631 5615 ž email wg1@ipcc.unibe.ch ž www.ipcc-wg1.unibe.ch Photo © Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Altitude Additional information is available from www.climatechange2013.org The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) contains contributions from three Working Groups. Working Group I assesses the physical science basis of climate change. Working Group II assesses impacts, adaptation and vulnerability while Working Group III assesses the mitigation of climate change. The Synthesis Report draws on the assessments made by all three Working Groups. The Working Group I contribution to the AR5 (WGI AR5) has 14 chapters, a Technical Summary and a Summary for Policymakers. The report includes an assessment of observations of the climate system, with separate chapters covering changes in the atmosphere and surface, the ocean and the cryosphere, as well as information from paleoclimate archives. There are chapters covering the carbon cycle, the science of clouds and aerosols, radiative forcing and sea level change. Coverage of climate change projections is extended by assessing both near-term and long-term projections. Climate phenomena such as monsoon and El Niño and their relevance for future regional climate change are assessed. An innovative feature of the WGI AR5 is the Atlas of Global and Regional Climate Projections (Annex I), which is intended to enhance accessibility for users and stakeholders. The WGI AR5 involved experts from around the world with expertise in the many different disciplines necessary to produce a comprehensive assessment of the physical science of climate change according to the approved chapter outlines. There were 209 Lead Authors and 50 Review Editors. More than 600 additional experts were invited by the Lead Authors of the report to be Contributing Authors and to provide additional specific knowledge or expertise in a given area. Lead Authors and Review Editors were selected for their scientific and technical expertise in relation to the approved chapter outlines for the WGI AR5 from lists of experts nominated by governments and IPCC observer organisations. Regional and gender balance were also considered, as well as ensuring the involvement of experts who had not worked on IPCC assessments before. The author teams assessed thousands of sources of scientific and technical information in the course of their work on WGI AR5. Priority is given to peer-reviewed literature if available and over 9,200 publications are cited in the WGI report. Multiple stages of review are an essential part of the IPCC process. Both expert reviewers and governments are invited at different stages to comment on the scientific and technical assessment and the overall balance of the drafts. The review process includes worldwide participation, with hundreds of experts reviewing the accuracy and completeness of the scientific assessment contained in the drafts. The WGI AR5 will be presented to the IPCC member governments for approval and acceptance in September 2013. IPCC WGI Technical Support Unit, Bern   30 August 2013
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Running Head: WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3

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Writing Assignment #3
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WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3

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Writing Assignment #3
A constant supply of fresh water is essential to communities and the nation at large. As
the world grapples with climate change, water availability is becoming an issue of concern,
especially to the residents of Southwestern U.S., including San Diego County. In the past, people
were not worried about water quality and availability of drinking water. Today, clean drinking
water is becoming a scarce commodity. The quality of water has been compromised by human
activities which have necessitated climate change. However, local, state, and federal
governments are now focused on improving water management to sustain natural ecosystems as
well as providing clean drinking water to communities. The critical issues of drinking water
availability and quality in Southwest, including San Diego County are changing the local
climate, population changes since World War II, domestic vs. imported water and waste
treatment and recycling attitudes.
Local climate
The local climate in Southwest, U.S. including San Diego County has not been favorable,
and that is what has made the availability of drinking water an enormous challenge. The crucial
primary element which is impacting local climate is the increasing temperatures. Southwest
continues to experience high temperatures, which are significantly decreasing water content
(Runyon, 2018). The region is mountainous, but the rising temperature is dropping the water
content of mountain snowpack which to some point act as the mouth of some rivers. Also, the
mountains which act as the mouths of rivers and streams are supplying insufficient water (NASA
Earth Observatory). Other water sources like Lake Mead, Las Vegas, serves as the U.S. largest
reservoir is slowly beginning to experience low water levels as a result of the unfavorable local
climate. It is the climate change that is ravaging Southwest, including San Diego County.
Globally, temperatures have been rising due to global warming, and that has undermined the
ability of water sources or mouths like mountains to supply streams and rivers sufficient water to
meet the demand.
Drought is persisting with the National Climate Assessment, indicating that Colorado
River Basin’s hydrology is speedily changing (Krol, 2018). The change has been attributed to
dropping water supplies. With watershed not receiving enough water as usual and continued
drought decreasing precipitation southwest is staring at reduced groundwater and low supplies, a
situation that is expected to limit the availability of drinking water. Generally, U.S. Southwest is
experiencing extreme drought and temperatures, phenomena that have forced scientists to warn
about impending water shortage or supply in the region.
Population changes since World War II
The population of Southwest and San Diego County increased rapidly post Second World
War. The United States economy grew to make it largest in the world, and those cities that had
economic viability registered a sharp population growth. According to Chourre & Wright (2016),
it is noted that Americans migrated to Southwest and West, through the end of the 20th century.
Sun Belt cities like Arizona recorded a significant population growth. The report by Hobbs &
Stoops (2002) indicated that across the 20th century, the number of people living in metropolitan
areas in all states. Also, the population of the U.S. since World War II has increased fourfold,

WRITING ASSIGNMENT #3

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and this proves that the U.S. Southwest. The postwar period ...

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