Groundwater Dynamics and the Water Table Explained

The video tutorial explains groundwater as water stored below the earth's surface, highlighting its infiltration from rain or river systems. It introduces the water table, a line separating the unsaturated zone, which contains sand, water, and air, from the saturated zone, filled with sand and water only. The tutorial illustrates how water percolates downwards, affecting the water table's position, which rises with more water and falls when water is extracted.

What is groundwater?

• Water stored above the earth's surface

• Water in the atmosphere

• Water stored below the earth's surface

• Water found in oceans

What does the water table separate?

• The ocean and the land

• The unsaturated zone and the saturated zone

• The atmosphere and the earth

• The river and the lake

What is found in the unsaturated zone?

• Sand and water only

• Only water

• Only air

• Sand, water, and air

Which of the following is NOT a component of the unsaturated zone?

• Sand

• Water

• Air

• Clay

What causes water droplets to move downward in the unsaturated zone?

• Wind

• Gravity

• Sunlight

• Temperature

What is the role of gravity in the movement of water in the unsaturated zone?

• It pushes water upward

• It pulls water downward

• It keeps water stationary

• It evaporates water

In the saturated zone, what fills the spaces between sand grains?

• Water

• Sand

• Air

• Rocks

What is the primary characteristic of the saturated zone?

• It is above the water table

• It is dry

• It is filled with water

• It contains only air

What happens to the water table when water is extracted?

• It stays the same

• It moves down

• It disappears

• It moves up

How does the water table respond to increased percolation?

• It moves down

• It moves up

• It stays constant

• It evaporates