Groundwater

Groundwater 💧

What happens to precipitation after it comes down?

Multiple Select

When water returns to the surface of the earth, what can it do?

• Condensate into the sky

• Infiltrate into the ground

• Remain in the atmosphere

• Runoff into another body of water

Groundwater

The water stored below Earth's surface

When water soaks through the ground it becomes groundwater

This is called infiltration

Porosity - Amount of space in between soil particles

• High Porosity = Lots of space between the soil

• Low Porosity = Little space between the soil

Multiple Choice

Which would have higher porosity? (More space between particles)

• Image on left

• Image on right

Fun fact: Clay is the most porous sediment but is the least permeable

Permeability - Material's ability to allow fluids to pass

• High Permeability = Water can travel through soil easily

• Low Permeability = Water can’t travel through soil easily

Pores must have interconnected conduits: open pathways for continuous flow

Saturation

• If the ground is saturated, water is less likely to infiltrate

• If the ground will not absorb any more water, the water will become runoff

• Flooding may occur

Open Ended

Which hurricane do you think caused the most flooding?

Flooding of I-40 after hurricane Florence

Aftermath of Hurricane Florence in New Bern

Cost of Hurricane Florence

16.7 billion in North Carolina although it was only a category 1 storm. The flooding was cited as biblical

Poll

Do you have well water or city water?

• Well water

• City water

• Other

Open Ended

Why is it recommended to fill bathtubs with water if you have a well before a hurricane hits?

Multiple Select

What does the water table sit between?

• Ground zone

• Zone of aeration

• Zone of saturation

• Aquifer

Multiple Choice

What is a well?

• Where you make a wish

• Hole drilled into the zone of aeration

• A place underground

• Hole drilled into the zone of saturation

Multiple Choice

When does ground subsidence occur?

• When water is used faster than it is replenished

• When the ground is flooded for too long

• When there is a drought