WEE/ENEN

Lecture no. K143/2 –

Water and Ecosystems

David Zumr, Martin Dočkal, Tomáš Dostál

 Demands on water, use of water, water in technical

applications
 Water in a future. Climate change impacts on water
resources
Water cycle : - solar energy
- atmospheric circulation
- heat reflectivity
- surface retention

Precipitation = Evaporation
 Water always had two main functions:
 life-giving liquid
 way how to dispose waste

„ Water ? – we have enough!“

… really ???
According to UN in 2003 6mil. m3 of
waste/day to water

„109 people on the Earth have not enough water, 2,5 x more people
have not enough water for basic hygiene → risk of illnesses

And what is your daily water consumption ??? Let us see a bit later
1/ Distribution of population

2/ Distribution of water supplies

3/ Quality of water
 Water use

 Agriculture (69% worldwide, irrigation, fishing, food production)

 Industry (22%, energy, cooling, ore and oil refineries…)
 Households (8 % drinking, bathing, cooking, sanitation,
gardening)
 Recreation, Environmental
 World water consumption has raised six times in a hundred years
(population has grown three times)

WC 32%
Bathing 29%
Average household requires 50 l per person Loundry 11%
per day Teeth and hands 7%
cleaning
Dish 7%
Drinking / 4%
cooking
Cleaning, 10%
gaarden...

Farmer on Madagascar consumes 10 l per day, average in CR 103l,

Prague 116, UK 149l, EU 120 l, US 575! (UNDP 2006)
 Consumption
How to save/protect Year
PRICE... [l]
water resources?
Price per m3 2012 1760 20

1. water distribution... 60÷80 Kč (3 EUR) 1850 80

1945 100
loses around 21%  Efficient dish and 1965 300
used to be 40%! laundry washers…
1989 171
2. lower consumption ... 2000 110
2010 100
dripping water tap = 4 l/h
2013 86,5
leaking toilet 80 l/h
leaking garden hose Water needed Consumption
60 l/h x 8760 l/yr ...!!! for production... [l]
1l beer 25
1kg paper 300
More on www.waterfootprint.org 1kg wool 150
1kg beef 15500
 Pollution of water:
point and non-point pollution
•Mechanical
(solid particles, sediments,)

•Chemical
(toxic substances, PCB, individual reactive substances, NH3,…)

•Biological (organic)
(organic matters, nutrients,…, introduced organisms)

•Thermal
(increasing of temperature of the environment)
 Water, nature and ecosystem service

Nature needs water … water needs nature

- water retention
- aquifer recharge
- water regulation
- water purification

• major drinking water sources are located in Protected Areas

• utilize opportunities provided by Ecosystem services (eg. water retention in lowlands,
water purification) – usually more cost effective than man made structures

after: M. Kettunen, Water, ecosystem services and nature:

putting the ‘green’ into green economy
Water management and climate change

1/ Floods
2/Droughts
TYPES OF FLOODS

 Standard floods – from rain (depending on type, duration, intensity, affected

area, …)

 Snow melt – depends on snow amount and characteristics, temperature

 Ice floods – river channel is blocked with ice floes or

 Special floods (disasters) – collapses of dams, levees; not necessary relation to weather conditions

In conditions of Central Europe, „STANDARD FLOODS“ are the most common

 Flood`s generation

Small catchment – storm event

Large catchment – regional meteorological situation, snow melting
Precipitation
Long term yearly average in CR (1961–1990) – 674 mm
Extremes: 247 mm - 2 725 mm
World - 22 990 mm, 1861 stanice Cherapundji, India
0 (14 years no rain) Arica (Chile), (average yearly
precipitation amount 0,8 mm)

Maximal daily precipitation amount:

CR → 345,1 mm, Jizerské hory, 29. 7. 1897
World → 1 870 mm, 15. - 16.3. 1952, Cilaos, Réunion
Precipitation trends in future
- (How could the global temperature change impact precipitation? – radiative
energy balance)
- so far no significant changes in precipitation amounts (in central Europe)
- changing yearly distribution of precipitation + intensification of precipitation
events
- increases in wet and dry extremes

(IPCC) (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies)

Floods and droughts frequency?
- not every extreme event can be attributed to climate change
- environment has changed significantly in last decades

(with use of slides by Allan R.P., U of Reading)

- CLIMATE - more extremes
- LANDUSE - more impermeable surfaces
- soil compaction
- river regulations
Vulnerability to flash floods (surface runoff)
Reduced water retention – water scarcity
What to do with rain water in urban areas?
… to prevent fast runoff, we need to retain water (even in small scale)
→ retain and reuse (gardening, toilet flushing
→ leave water to infiltrate (gravel, infiltration structures).
As a result…
1) reduced water reaching wastewater treatment plants zatížení

2) increased groundwater amount

→ design water containers where appropriate

→ start in small scale (cottage, garden...)
→ design infiltration pavements and ditches in cities
(along comunications)
http://www.stavcentrum.cz
 Impact of climate change on water management

 Water for energy production

 Water transportation
 Protection against floods
 Recreation
 Maintaining minimum ecological discharges in rivers and
streams
 Water pollution
 Fish production
 Wetlands, small creeks, small ponds will dry

 Groundwater depletion
 Problems with water shortage - human, industry and agriculture
 Water, energy and hydropower

 Lower water discharge = lower production

 Extreme discharge = no production (safety reasons)
 Higher winter temperature – lower energy demand, but! higher
temperature in summer – air-conditioning…
 Water transport
Ecological aspect (low dust, noise, emissions), BUT! necessary
demands on:
 radii of river curves adjustments
 regular cleaning and scraping of river bed
 lock chambers, weirs
 higher discharges during dry periods
 safe ports during floods
 Floods

• urban and landscape planning, polders, levees, dams, mobile

barriers, flood plans, etc.

Will be continued in other

lectures…
 Recreation

• Precipitation and temperature extremes cause:

• water pollution (turbidity, eutrophication, alegea)
• damage of recreation structures
• water fluctuation in water reservoirs = muddy banks, flooded
camp grounds, mosquitoes
 Minimum stream/river flow
„…amount of water flow necessary to preserve stream values, or
the minimum lake elevation necessary to preserve lake values.“

Function:
 To protect fish, aquatic life, wildlife habitat
 Aesthetic beauty
 Recreation, transportation, navigation
 Water quality
 Water quality in summer

Higher temperatures and lower discharge  higher contaminants

concentration
Minimum stream flow prevent ecological problems in a channel
Lower concentration of dissolved oxygen in water – oxygen sag curve
 Fish industry
• Oxygen deficit – water aeration.

Zdroj: www.rybari.psanky.info

Zdroj: www.lesypraha.cz
 Water in landscape and urban areas

• Water ponds and streams are ecologically positive areas in

landscape (microclimate, biodiversity…)
• Water in cities decrease temperature (latent heat) „Urban
adaptation to climate change in Europe“
• Aesthetic effect
 Drinking water for public

• Top priority = at all costs!

• Further rise of water consumption is expected (with
increasing living standards)

• Regulation?
• - Water for swimming pools, gardening, car washing etc.

• Solution – sustainable transboundary water management,

water transport, technology (water recyclation)
 Water for industry

Energetics
Paper
Mining
Chemical industry
:

• Adaptation on climate change by introduction of new

technologies, increased efficiency, move production to
another locality
 Water and agriculture

• Irrigation so far not actual in Central Europe

• Plant production:
• Irrigation – higher temperature – increased
evapotranspiration (?) – decrease of soil moisture and GWL –
higher irrigation demand
• Central Europe – rare, sport and recreation areas (golf
courses)
• World – highly important (Africa, Asia, Middle East,
Australia...)
• Livestock
 Drought prevention
• Affects food production, life expectancy and economic
performance
 Drought vs aridity (permanently dry region)
 Asociated with high temperatures, wind and low humidity
 Intensified by over croping, overgrazinr, deforestation,
overpopulation, mismanagement
 Secondary natural hazards – dust storms, malnutrition
deseases, wildfires, debts, migration
 Ing. David Zumr Ph.D.
B775, tel:224 354 745, david.zumr@fsv.cvut.cz
 Oxygen sag curve in river –

organic pollution

small hydropowerplant
effect of thermal pollution

cooling water outflow

O2 (mg/l)

8
6 possible influence of aeration

4 alternative of strong
organic pollution –
2 possible effect of secondary ecological dissaster
increase of temperature

carps have died

trouts have died

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