HR: 0800h
AN: U41A-0802    [Abstracts]
TI: Assessing Long Term Freshwater Needs in the Arctic
AU: * Strang, E T
EM: ftets@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 755860 Univeristy of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860 United States
AU: White, D M
EM: ffdmw@uaf.edu
AF: Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, P.O. Box 755860 Univeristy of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860 United States
AB: The objective of this research is to understand how humans rely on freshwater at local and regional scales in selected parts of the Arctic, how these dependencies have changed in the recent past, and how they are likely to change in the future. The study seeks to incorporate likely effects of climate change on the hydrologic cycle and water availability. This poster describes results to date on historical and future water demand on the Seward Peninsula. Water use can be divided into domestic and industrial water use. Historic domestic water demand, that is, water used for drinking, cooking and cleaning, has increased over the past 40 years as piped water and sewer systems were installed in many villages. Domestic demand can increase by as much as 900 percent when a community installs piped water. Predictions of future water use indicate that the demand for freshwater could rise to considerably higher levels than current usage in the next century due to upgrades to water systems and increases to populations. Historically, industrial water use on the Seward Peninsula was primarily due to mining activities. Preliminary results suggest that water use in the Nome Mining District decreased proportionally with the decline of placer mining operations last century, but the planned construction of a new gold mine in the Nome area could significantly increase freshwater use for mining in the future. The long-term goal of this study is to use historic pressures on the freshwater resource to better understand its vulnerability. Predictions indicate that the domestic demand for freshwater will rise in the future due to population growth and changes to water treatment and delivery technology. The poster addresses current water use on the Seward Peninsula and possible future water demand.
DE: 0702 Permafrost (0475)
DE: 1630 Impacts of global change (1225)
DE: 1637 Regional climate change
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
DE: 1803 Anthropogenic effects (4802, 4902)
SC: Union [U]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005