Surface water
What is the zone of saturation?
The area below the water table where all the pores are filled with water instead of air.
What does most groundwater contain?
Carbonic acid
What are 2 factors that affect a rivers/streams path?
The slope of the land and the type of material that the river/stream flows through.
How long does groundwater stay underground?
For 100s of years.
What provides energy for the water cycle?
The Sun
What determines the speed of groundwater?
The mass amount of it.
What 2 states in the USA are known for large amounts of sinkholes?
Kentucky and Florida.
What is stream load?
All the material carried by water in a stream.
What is the natural discharge of groundwater called?
Springs
What are the 4 forms of precipitation?
Rain, snow, sleet, hail
What is the difference between aquifers and aquicludes?
Aquifers allow groundwater to pass through them while aquicludes do not allow water to pass through them.
What is the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.
Stalactites form on the ceiling of caves while Stalagmites form on the floor of caves.
What are 2 things that increase a stream or rivers carrying capacity?
The velocity of the water and the amount of water moving in the stream.
What determines the temperature of springs?
The region and climate the the spring forms in.
What kind of rain is best for the water to seep into the ground and why?
Light rain because it allows time for the water to soak in instead of overfilling the pores.
What happens to the water table during dry periods?
The water table lowers during dry periods.
How are most caves formed?
When Groundwater dissolves limestone.
Width(m) x Depth(m) x Velocity(m/s)
What is the definition of drawdown?
The difference between the original water table level and the water level in the pumped well
What is infiltration?
When water soaks into the groundwater supply
Where is all the water on earth?
97% is in the oceans but is salt water.
3% is fresh water.
90% of that 3% is in glaciers while the rest is underground or in lakes, rivers, or streams.
What formations are in many caves above the water table?
Dripstone formations.
What do gauging stations help to do?
They help monitor the water level in areas to allow people to know when they need to evacuate because of flooding.
What kind of aquifers are more reliable for drinking water?
Confined aquifers are more reliable because they are between aquicludes which protects it from pollution.
What is another name for the water cycle?
The Hydrolic cycle