Experiential Education in Groundwater Hydrology: Bridging the Technical-Policy-Populace Gap Final Report
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Jordan Univ. of Science and Technology, Ar Ramtha (Jordan)
- Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Amman (Jordan)
- Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Amman (Jordan)
It is well recognized that half the countries in the world will face significant fresh water shortages in the next 20 years, due largely to growing populations and increased agricultural and industrial demands (Gleick, 1997). These shortages will significantly limit economic growth, decrease the quality of life and human health for billions of people, and could potentially lead to violence and conflict over securing scarce supplies of water. In the Middle East, groundwater represents an important part of water supply in most locations, yet it is the least understood and one of the most fragile components of the entire water resource system. The occurrence of water underground contributes to the illusion of an infinite resource that is immune to anthropogenic activities. Nevertheless, as has been learned in the West, it can become highly impaired through the actions of man--through the disposal of human, animal, or industrial wastes, from excessive irrigation and fertilization practices in agriculture, or from simple overproduction and overexploitation--and can remain so for decades or even centuries. Finding solutions to groundwater resource and quality problems can be complex, time consuming, and costly. As is the case in many places in the world, but especially in the Middle East, there is a large gap between professionals, policy makers, and the general population with respect to their understanding of groundwater, its abundance, distribution, movement, and pollution. In a region where water supply and quality problems can be extremely acute, it becomes that much more necessary to protect and preserve the water that does exist. To sustain groundwater as a long-term reliable resource, increased understanding of factors affecting both the quality and quantity of groundwater must be better understood by all aspects of society. This report describes the outcome of a collaborative project between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the US and the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), all in Jordan. The project was funded by the United States Information Agency (now known as the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California. It was designed to develop, utilize, and distribute a series of educational tools across a wide spectrum of the population in Jordan to illustrate the impact of human activities and policies on the use and preservation of groundwater as an increasingly precious resource. The educational tools involved (1) portable, two-dimensional physical groundwater models for use in educating primary-aged children, laypersons, academic, government, other technical professionals, and farming communities on basic groundwater issues, and (2) computer-based simulation software, which can be used to assess the accrual and movement of groundwater in actual geologic formations, as well as the fate of contaminants that reach and dissolve within groundwater. These tools have an uncommon capacity to illustrate the impact of human activities and policies to a broad spectrum of the population that includes school children, college and post-graduate students, government officials, civic groups, professional organizations, and all, citizens.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15006124
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-LR-154423; TRN: US200405%%265
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: TH: Thesis; Thesis information not provided; PBD: 17 Jul 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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