The Use of Irrigation in the Murray-Darling Basin (Clickview) Fill in the following table: % in the MDB Australias total

farms Australias irrigated land Wool, cotton, wheat, sheep, cattle, dairy, rice, oil, wine, fruit and vegetable

When did irrigation begin in the MDB?

What is irrigation?

How much water does the MDB receive on average each year?

Complete the table below Where does this water go? Lost through evaporation or transpiration Drains into the ground Run-off % of total water in the MDB

How did the early settlers affect the MDB? They cut

Name some of the types of irrigation used in the MDB

What is horticulture?

How much of the MDB is devoted to horticulture?

What type of irrigation do the majority of new orchards employ?

How many jobs are created in other areas such as industry and tourism for every job in irrigation?

What is viticulture?

How much of the MDB is devoted to viticulture?

What is salinity? The build up of salt in water Where does the salt come from? 100 million years ago the murry darling was submerged in the ocean and when the ocean left it left historical salt How does irrigation cause salt to rise to the surface? Large amounts of water are in the river and the salt rises to the surface Give an example of kind of strategies are in place to manage salinity Prescribing the type of crops grown because of its salinity level Why are rice and cotton often at the centre of the salinity debate? Because they use more water than most crops Why do we keep growing rice? Because it is worth a lot of money and we are more efficient then the rest of the world Which crop had the highest water consumption from 2000-2006? Cotton had the highest water consumption What is the real challenge of managing the MDB? the challenge of managing the MDB is to keep the crops growing and the river system sustainable
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