2010 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel
Continental hydrosphere
verfasst von : B. Diekkrüger
Erschienen in: Impacts of Global Change on the Hydrological Cycle in West and Northwest Africa
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
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Water is the key to sustainable development. It is necessary for domestic use, for husbandry, industry, and irrigation, and it is necessary for sustaining ecosystem functions. Water availability is, on one hand, dependent on meteorological conditions, and on the other, on terrestrial processes. According to Falkenmark and Rockström (2004), the ratio of blue to green water is determined at the boundary between the pedosphere and the atmosphere. In this concept, blue water is the visible part of the water, which is available at the surface or as soil water or groundwater. In contrast, green water is the non-visible part, which returns as water vapor into the atmosphere. Green water may be productive (transpiration) or unproductive (evaporation). Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) mainly concentrates on blue water, although conserving green water is an important aspect.