Wpływ zmian klimatu na zasoby wody słodkiej, czyli o efekcie motyla od studni do kranu
[Impact of climate change on freshwater resources, or the well-to-tap butterfly effect]

Kamil Kowalski (Doctoral School - Environmental Engineering, Mining, and Power 
Engineering, PWr, Wrocław)


Many countries are currently facing drinking water scarity. Rapid industrial development 
in the late 19th century is the main factor pointed to as the cause of the currently 
observed climate changes, including those related to the Earth's hydrological cycle. 
According to the IPCC, four segments of the environment can be distinguished in which 
anomalies have since been observed: land, atmosphere, ocean and ice areas (cryosphere), 
and factors threatening water supply operations can be found in each of them. The purpose 
of this study was to examine the impact of climate change on water supply, detailing unit 
processes such as intake, treatment and distribution. The results obtained confirm the 
interdependence and cascading nature of observed climate changes, which consequently 
contributes to both quantitative and qualitative changes in water reserves.