1. Movement & Storage of Groundwater
Section 10.1
Movement & Storage of Groundwater

2. Warm Up Look up the definitions and use in a sentence for: Topography
Porosity
Runoff
Saturation
Permeability

3. The Hydrosphere
The water on and in Earth’s crust makes up the hydrosphere.
About 97% of the hydrosphere is contained in the oceans. The other 3% of the hydrosphere is freshwater.
More than 90% of Earth’s freshwater is in polar ice caps and glaciers. Most of the remaining 10% is groundwater.

4. Runoff The ultimate source of all water on land is the oceans.
Most of the precipitation that falls on land enters the ground through the process of infiltration and becomes groundwater. Only a small portion of precipitation becomes runoff and is returned directly to the ocean through streams and rivers.

5. Groundwater Storage
The percentage of pore space in a material is called its porosity.

6. The Zone of Saturation What is the zone of saturation?
The depth below Earth’s surface at which groundwater completely fills all the pores of a material
What is the water table?
The upper boundary of the zone of saturation

7. The Zone of Saturation
Label the diagram below using Figure 10-2 as your guide.
Soil moisture
Zone of aeration
Water table
Zone of Saturation

8. The Zone of Saturation
What are the 2 classifications of water in the zone of saturation? Define them.
Gravitational Water: water that trickles downward as a result of gravity
Capillary Water: water that is drawn upward from the water table

9. The Zone of Saturation
The water table follows the topography of the land above it.
The water table fluctuates with seasonal and other weather conditions because of its dependence on precipitation.

10. Groundwater Movement How does groundwater flow? What is permeability?
Downhill in the direction of the slope of the water table
What is permeability?
The ability of a material to let water pass through it

11. Groundwater Movement
How is the permeability in materials with coarse and fine grains different?
Coarse (large) grains: high permeability (ex: sand & gravel)
Fine grains: low permeabilities (ex: silt & clay)
What does the velocity of groundwater flow primarily depend upon?
The slope of the water table (the steeper the slope, the faster the water flow)
Permeability of the soil

12. What is the major factor that determines velocity of groundwater?
Groundwater Movement
What is the major factor that determines velocity of groundwater?
Permeability
Regardless of slope, velocities through permeable materials are always higher than velocities through impermeable materials

13. What are aquifers? What are aquicludes?
Groundwater Movement
What are aquifers? What are aquicludes?
Aquifers: permeable layers of soil
Aquicludes: impermeable layers of soil