water 3 Flashcards
(26 cards)
what do we refer to as groundwater?
Water found in these SATURATED PORE SPACES is what we refer to as GROUNDWATER
what is groundwater?
Water that exists underground in SATURATED ZONES (i.e., areas where soil PORE SPACES are SATURATED/COMPLETELY FILLED with water)
which lie above one another saturated or unsaturated zones and explain?
UNSATURATED ZONES lie above SATURATED ZONES.
In UNSATURATED ZONES, PORE SPACES are filled with water and air.
Upper surface of the SATURATED ZONE (i.e., boundary between SATURATED ZONE and
UNSATURATED ZONE) is referred to as the WATER TABLE.
does groundwater form underground rivers?
no, GROUNDWATER does NOT form
underground rivers. It simply fills PORES (and
FRACTURES) in underground materials
what is an aquifer (def 1)?
An underground layer of water SATURATED
porous rock, rock fractures and/or UNCONSOLIDATED materials (e.g., gravel, sand, silt, clay)
what is an aquifer (def 2)?
Underground formation of permeable rock or loose materials capable of producing useful quantities of water for consumption
how can groundwater move at different speeds?
depending on PORE SIZES and
how well connected PORES and fractures are
where does groundwater come from?
- A fraction of PRECIPITATION (i.e., rain, snow) that falls to Earth seeps its way down into ground, ultimately reaching the WATER TABLE, thus joining GROUNDWATER AQUIFER
- Surface water (e.g., river or lake water) can also flow down into AQUIFERS through rock fractures/sediment below it
how long can water stay in aquifers?
for 1000s of years
what do we call adding new water to aquifers?
the RECHARGING of AQUIFERS
what is a groundwater scientist known as?
HYDROGEOLOGIST
in how many different sizes do groundwater aquifers come in?
from a few thousand square meters to thousands of square kilometers
how thick can groundwater acquirers be?
just a few meters thick to 100’s of meters thick from top to bottom
usually, how deep can groundwater be found within earth’s surface?
100 m
what is another way to call groundwater acquifer?
water table
where is the world’s larger groundwater acquirer found in, what’s its area and how deep can they be (depending of the area)?
Great Artesian Basin in Australia and it covers 1.7 million square kilometers and Its GROUNDWATER can be as deep as 3 km below Earth’s surface!
In other areas – it rises to the surface
what is a spring?
Any place where GROUNDWATER flows out onto Earth’s surface
At some locations, ground level (Earth’s surface) may be LOWER than WATER TABLE!
At such locations, GROUNDWATER flows out onto surface, thus becoming SURFACE WATER
what is the percentage of people that depend on groundwater as their source of drinking water/source of water for domestic use in Canada?
30.3% of the population (or 8.9
million people)
what’s the percentage of people that depend on GROUNDWATER that live in RURAL AREAS
two-thirds (66%)
which province depends on GROUNDWATER
(found in sandstone) for its ENTIRE WATER SUPPLY
prince edward
what is the percentage of New Brunswick’s population that depend on GROUNDWATER?
60%
what is the primary use of GROUNDWATER in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba?
AGRICULTURE
what is the primary use of GROUNDWATER in Quebec?
INDUSTRY
what is the percentage of people in the USA that rely on groundwater for drinking water?
38%
