1. Week 6 PowerPoint Lecture
Objectives: 4.04 Evaluate water resources:
Storage and movement of groundwater.
Ecological services provided by the ocean
Environmental impacts of a growing human population.
Causes of natural and manmade contamination.
4.05 Investigate and analyze environmental issues and solutions for North Carolina's river basins, wetlands, and tidal environments:
Water quality.
Shoreline changes.
Habitat preservation

2. Movement of Water on Earth
Water cycle - the continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, land, and oceans
Water covers more than 2/3 of Earth’s surface
Earth’s water is constantly changing from one form to another.

3. Forms of water
In the atmosphere, water occurs as an invisible gas called water vapor. Liquid water also exists in the atmosphere as small particles in clouds and fog.
Condensation - the change of state from a gas to a liquid
When water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it expands and cools.
As the vapor becomes cooler; some of it condenses, or changes into tiny liquid water droplets, and forms clouds.

4. Forms of Water, continued
Precipitation - any form of water that falls to Earth’s surface from the clouds; includes rain, snow, sleet, and hail
About 75% of all precipitation falls on Earth’s oceans. Oceans play a key role in helping to maintain overall water quality. The remaining precipitation falls on land and becomes runoff or groundwater.
Eventually, all of this water returns to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration, condenses, and falls back to Earth’s surface to begin the cycle again.

5. Forms of Water, continued
Evapotranspiration - the total loss of water from an area, which equals the sum of the water lost by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and the water lost by transpiration from organisms
About 86% of this water evaporates from the ocean.
Water vapor also enters the air by transpiration, the process by which plants and animals release water vapor into the atmosphere.

6. Water Budget
In Earth’s water budget, precipitation is the income. Evapotranspiration and runoff are the expenses.
The water budget of Earth as a whole is balanced because the amount of precipitation is equal to the amount of evapotranspiration and runoff.
However, the water budget of a particular area, called the local water budget, is usually not balanced.

7. Water Budget, continued
Factors That Affect the Water Budget
Factors that affect the local water budget include temperature, vegetation, wind, and the amount and duration of rainfall.
The factors that affect the local water budget vary geographically.
The local water budget also changes with the seasons in most areas of Earth.

8. Water Budget, continued
Water Use
On average, each person in the United States uses about 95,000 L (20,890.5 gal) of water each year.
As the population of the United States increases, so does the demand for water.
About 90% of the water used by cities and industry is returned to rivers or to the oceans as wastewater.
Some of this wastewater contains harmful materials, such as toxic chemicals and metals.

9. Water Budget, continued
Can we make more fresh water?
Desalination - a process of removing salt from ocean water
but…it is expensive and is impractical for supplying water to large populations.

10. Water Budget, continued
Conservation of Water
Scientists have identified two ways to ensure that enough fresh water is available today and in the future.
conservation or the wise use of water resources.
protect the water supply is to find alternative methods of obtaining fresh water.

11. What are groundwater and aquifers?
the water that is beneath Earth’s surface
groundwater is an important source of freshwater in the United States.
Aquifer
a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater
the ease with which water flows through an aquifer is affected by many factors, including porosity and permeability.

12. Properties of Aquifers
Porosity - the percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces.
Permeability - the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores. For a rock to be permeable, the open spaces must be connected.

13. How does water enter an aquifer?
Gravity pulls water down through soil and rock layers until the water reaches impermeable rock.
Water then begins to fill, or saturate, the spaces in the rock above the impermeable layer.
As more water soaks into the ground, the water level rises underground and forms two distinct zones of groundwater.

14. Zones of Aquifers
Zone of Saturation - the layer of an aquifer in which the pore space is completely filled with water
The term saturated means “filled to capacity.”
The zone of saturation is the lower of the two zones of groundwater.
Water table - the upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation
Notice where the zone of saturation and water table are on the diagram below.

15. Zones of Aquifers, continued
Zone of Aeration - the zone that lies between the water table and Earth’s surface
Water is drawn up from the zone of saturation into the capillary fringe by capillary action. Capillary action is caused by the attraction of water molecules to other materials, such as soil.
Where is the zone of aeration relative to the zone of saturation on the diagram below?

16. Topography and the Water Table
The depth of the water table below the ground surface depends on surface topography, the permeability of the aquifer, the amount of rainfall, and the rate at which humans use water.
In a few areas a layer of impermeable rock lies above the main water table. Water collects on top of this upper layer and creates a second water table, which is called a perched water table.
Can you locate the perched water table in the graphic below?

17. Conserving Groundwater
Although groundwater is renewable, its supply is limited by its long renewal time. Groundwater collects and moves slowly, and the water taken from aquifers may not be replenished for hundreds or thousands of years.
Communities often regulate the use of groundwater to help conserve this valuable resource.
Some communities recycle used water. This water is purified and may be used to replenish the groundwater supply.

18. How does water reach the Earth’s surface?
Groundwater reaches Earth’s surface through wells and springs.
A well is a hole that is dug to below the level of the water table and through which groundwater is brought to Earth’s surface.
A spring is a natural flow of groundwater to Earth’s surface in places where the ground surface dips below the water table.

19. Ordinary Wells and Springs
Ordinary wells work only if they penetrate highly permeable sediment or rock below the water table.
If the rock is not permeable enough, groundwater cannot flow into the well quickly enough to replace the water that is withdrawn.
Ordinary springs are usually found in rugged terrain where the ground surface drops below the water table.
These springs may not flow continuously if the water table in the area has an irregular depth as a result of variable rainfall.

20. Artesian Wells and Springs
Artesian formation - a sloping layer of permeable rock sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock and exposed at the surface
Because the water is under pressure, when a well or hole is drilled through the caprock, water quickly flows up through the well and may even spout from the surface.
An artesian well is a well through which water flows freely without being pumped
When cracks occur naturally in the caprock, water from the aquifer flows through the cracks. This flow forms artesian springs.

21. Hot Springs
Groundwater is heated when it passes through rock that has been heated by magma.
Hot groundwater that is at least 37°C and that rises to the surface before cooling produces a hot spring.
When water in a hot spring cools, the water deposits minerals around the spring’s edges.
The deposits form steplike terraces of calcite called travertine.
In the picture to the right, note Growler and Morgan Hot Springs. The photo is of Morgan Hot Springs.

22. Geysers
Hot springs that periodically erupt from surface pools or through small vents are called geysers.
A geyser consists of a narrow vent that connects one or more underground chambers with the surface.
Release of the water near the top of the vent relieves the pressure on the superheated water farther down.
The eruption continues until most of the water and steam are emptied from the vent and chambers.
Click here for an animated view of geysers – read the descriptions as you go

23. What is happening to our water?
The U.S. population is growing rapidly. Does this affect our water supply? Visit the following website:
Read the information under each topic listed below to determine how our water supply is affected. Use the learned information to answer questions on your Week 6 Guided Notes
Population growth
Urban runoff
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Sewage overflows
Toxic metals

24. What is happening to our water in North Carolina?
Now let’s specifically look at our state. Visit the following website:
Click on the subtitles under
Clean Water
Defend our Coast
Protect our Rivers
Preservation
Preserve the Outer Banks
Preserve our Ocean Legacy
Use the learned information to answer questions on your Week 6 Guided Notes

25. Bibliography Pictures and information gathered from:
Allison, DeGaetano, Pasachoff, Holt Earth Science. 2008, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York