Week 3 Assignment Template
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Ashford University *
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218
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Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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docx
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Uploaded by andrewallen45de
Week 3 Assignment
Sustainable Living Guide Contributions, Part Three of Four:
Sustaining our Water Resources
Your Term: Droughts
Droughts are defined as an extended period of time without precipitation or
rainfall which causes a shortage in the regions water supply. Droughts can last a very
long time in some cases and in all cases are devastating to the affected area's inhabitants.
Some areas are prone to droughts and sometimes they can occur due to sudden changes in
an ecosystem or an interruption in the natural water cycle (Bensel and Carbone, 2020).
Human activities can also create conditions for a drought. A study published in the
Journal of Hydology measured the results of human activites in an area and how they
contribute to droughts using the scenario comparison method (Cheng, Lu, Wang, Wang,
Wang and van Odel, p.37, 2021).
The most obvious affect of a drought is a lack of water. All living things require
water to function and a drought puts them all in great danger. This is the main reason why
scientists observe population migrations in animals and in humans during periods of
droughts. This also affects the food supply for humans as they can no longer grow food or
raise cattle reliably without access to water. As plants are unable to grow the land and soil
becomes barren and harsh which are not conditions that are suitable for maintaining a
farm or garden. These situations provide all the criteria for a famine which typically
result in a loss of human lives.
Aside from just a lack of rainfall droughts can be cause by poor agricultural
practices. In an experiment conducted in 2020 we can see which crop rotations were the
most resilient to droughts (Zhang, Qu, Yang, Wang, Qin, and Zou, p.23, 2020). By
utilizing information like this we can help other survive though preiods of droughts and
prevent the need for migrations. We can also take actions today in our homes by
conserving water in many ways by collecting rainfall and purifing it for drinking use.
This is a practice used in areas of the world where collceting rainfall is a must but we can
do it now while it is not a must. By doing these actions we can protect our water sources
from overuse and waste which can protect our environment from the conditions that coul
start a drought.
References
:
Bensel, T., & Carbone, I. (2020).
Sustaining our planet
. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu
Cheng, H., Wang, W., van Oel, P. R., Lu, J., Wang, G., & Wang, H. (2021). Impacts of
different human activities on hydrological drought in the Huaihe River Basin
based on
scenario comparison.
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 37
.
https://doi-org.proxy
-
library.ashford.edu/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100909
Zhang, Y., Qu, H., Yang, X., Wang, M., Qin, N., & Zou, Y. (2020). Cropping system
optimization for drought prevention and disaster reduction with a risk assessment
model
in Sichuan Province.
Global Ecology and Conservation, 23
.
https://doi-org.proxy
-
library.ashford.edu/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01095
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