LO: To understand the global pattern of rainfall and the relationship between this and water surpluses/ deficit areas

Key words…

Why is there a problem?

• Water supply is uneven• The distribution of rainfall varies spatially• Some areas that have a high rainfall have high rates

of evaporatranspiration- where temperatures are high and rainfall is quickly condensed into a gas- this means the water does not have enough time to enter groundwater stores.

• The wettest places in the world (e.g. rainforests) do not support many peopl

Physical Water Scarcity means the natural reasons for low water supply i.e. low rainfall. Deserts, such as those in the Middle East are obvious examples of physical water scarcity

Economic Water Scarcity means the human reasons for low water supply i.e. lack of plumbing infrastructure. LEDCs such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo are an obvious example of areas with economic water scarcity because, although the Congo has no shortage of rainfall the lack of plumbing infrastructure in the Congo results in many Congolese people living without a reliable supply of fresh water.

Use the information on the maps to complete the questions on the worksheet ‘Water resources’

• produce a world map locating areas of water surplus and deficit. The rainfall for these areas is superimposed on the map.

• Students produce descriptions of the patterns they observe on the map.

• Use atlas data (such as rainfall and population density) to annotate the map to explain the patterns

• Produce descriptions of the patterns they observe on the map.