Water Pathways
Name all four pathway water takes because of gravity.
Precipitation, Runoff, Infiltration, Groundwater movement
What is precipitation?
Water that falls from the sky as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
What does infiltration mean?
Water soaking into the soil.
What is runoff?
Water that flows over top of the surface
What is groundwater movement?
The slow flow of water underground that curves towards a water source / lowest elevation
What is the driver that primarily causes water to move downhill and through the ground?
Gravity
Which form of precipitation is liquid water that reaches the ground?
Rain
One factor that affects how quickly water infiltrates the ground, is whether or not the ground is _____________.
permeable
Would you expect to see more runoff on a concrete hill or grass hill?
Concrete hill
What is the area called underground that stores usable groundwater?
Aquifer
How is groundwater movement is different from runoff?
Groundwater movement is water flowing below the surface through soil and rock pores; runoff is water flowing over the land surface.
True or False: Precipitation is the only way water returns from the atmosphere to Earth's surface.
True
Which soil type usually allows faster infiltration: sand or clay?
Sand
How does slope steepness affect runoff?
Steeper slopes increase runoff speed and volume (amount)
Does groundwater movement happen undergound or above ground?
underground
What is a watershed?
An area of land where all water drains to the same place
On a model, describe how you would show the direction of precipitation.
Arrow pointing down towards the ground from a cloud.
less because water is moving faster
How would increasing permeable surfaces in a town change runoff?
Increasing permeable surfaces (e.g., green spaces) would reduce runoff and increase infiltration
Which other water Pathways has to happen BEFORE groundwater movement can occur?
Infiltration - water has to soak into the ground first!
True or False: Two houses that drain into the same stream are in the same watershed.
True
Predict what happens during a heavy storm when soil is already saturated.
Infiltration decreases because the soil is full; runoff increases, leading to more surface flow and potential flooding
On a model, describe how you would show the direction of infiltration.
A downward arrow from the surface into the ground.
On a model, describe how you would show the direction of runoff.
Arrow pointing downhill on top of the surface
On a model, describe how you would show the direction of groundwater movement.
A downward curved arrow underground pointing towards a water source or the lowest elevation point