Aquifers

Question 1

Explain what an aquifer is

Answer 1

geological formation, containing water and allows significant amounts of water to move through it under ordinary conditions

Question 2

Types of Aquifers

Answer 2

Confined Aquifer - bounded from above and below by an impermeable layer (aquitards)

Unconfined Aquifer - Directly recharged from the surface above

Semi-confined aquifer - formation above/below preventing full obtaining of water (aquiludes)

Question 3

Describe how adsorption of a pollutant on soil grains influences its transport in groundwater.

Answer 3

Adsorption causes retardation of the movement of the contaminant by factor R, and decrease in
dispersion coefficient by the same factor:

Therefore advection will be R times slower if there is adsorption and dispersion will be less
prominent.