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Global-Scale Assessment of Annual Usable Fresh Water

by Ben Chie Yen, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,
Ravinder K. Jain, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,
Robert Riggins, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,
Adam H. Slutsky, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering Hydrology

Abstract:

The quantity of fresh water on earth, although very large, is a limited quantity. A major portion of this water is the polar water that is practically unavailable for human uses. The annually available fresh water from various surface and ground water sources is constrained by the process of hydrologic cycle. Improper harvest of fresh water from different sources would result in either undesirable effects on the environment or wasting of water. This paper presents a concept and preliminary evaluation of the fresh water sources available annually for uses on the basis of hydrologic cycle. The volume and transfer of water in different components of the hydrologic cycle is considered. This is the first-step basic information needed for the decision on rational uses of surface and groundwater. Preliminary result indicates the need for reexamination of the relative amount of water usages from the surface water and groundwater sources.

Subject Headings: Fresh water | Water resources | Water conservation | Hydrology | Surface water | Water use | Groundwater

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