Sign in or 
Share this
What is Groundwater?
Sure the Earth's surface is 75% water, but most of it is undrinkable saltwater. Of all the water on Earth, 99% is saltwater, leaving only a slim 1% freshwater. Even though this 1% seems as though there should be some kind of water crisis, it is still quite a large amount of water. Of that 1%, 96% of it occurs as groundwater, with the rest stored in lakes, rivers, glaciers, ice sheets, and the atmosphere. Groundwater is clearly strategic for modern civilization, for nearly half of the United States' drinking water comes from below the Earth's surface.
The common misconception concerning groundwater is that it is comparable to an underground lake or river. Rather, groundwater occurs in the pores of porous and permeable rocks such as sandstone and rock fractures, similar to water in a sponge. Underground lakes and rivers are associated with cave systems. The flow of water underground is different compared to that of a river or stream. The entire natural system of water flow is best represented in the Hydrologic, or Water Cycle, as seen here:
Groundwater is recharged by the constant flow of water as illustrated in the Hydrologic Cycle. Precipitation and water from lakes and streams are absorbed into the earth and percolate downward where water accumulates as groundwater. As the water travels through the earth, it is filtered in the process.
Sources:
www.purdue.edu
The common misconception concerning groundwater is that it is comparable to an underground lake or river. Rather, groundwater occurs in the pores of porous and permeable rocks such as sandstone and rock fractures, similar to water in a sponge. Underground lakes and rivers are associated with cave systems. The flow of water underground is different compared to that of a river or stream. The entire natural system of water flow is best represented in the Hydrologic, or Water Cycle, as seen here:
Groundwater is recharged by the constant flow of water as illustrated in the Hydrologic Cycle. Precipitation and water from lakes and streams are absorbed into the earth and percolate downward where water accumulates as groundwater. As the water travels through the earth, it is filtered in the process.
Sources:
www.purdue.edu
|
lamontequinn |
Latest page update: made by lamontequinn
, Feb 15 2008, 3:08 PM EST
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by lamontequinn
view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
