Groundwater

Groundwater 💧

What happens to precipitation after it comes down?

Fill in the Blanks

Which process of the hydrologic cycle converts gas back to liquid form?

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