1. Aim: What factors Affect the storage and movement of groundwater?

2. After infiltrating the soil, groundwater occupies distinct zones.
A. Groundwater zones
After infiltrating the soil, groundwater occupies distinct zones.

3. Let’s take a closer look
Impermeable Bedrock

4. Zones Impermeable Bedrock- doesn’t allow water to flow through
Zones of Saturation- all pore spaces are filled with water
Water Table- the interface between the zone of saturation and aeration
Zones of Aeration- the top zone, where all pore spaces are filled with air.

5. Watershed
Drainage basin, it is the geographic area in which water drains into a particular stream or other body of water.

6. Porosity The amount of pore spaces in the soil
High Porosity
Low Porosity
Porosity
The amount of pore spaces in the soil
Soils with high porosity have round particles that are well sorted (all the same size) and loosely packed.
Particle size makes no difference.

7. Permeability The ability of a soil to let water pass through it.
Soils with high permeability have large particles with large pore spaces that are well connected.
Low permeability= lots of runoff!!!

8. How Slope Effects Permeability
The steeper the slope= less permeability, water can’t infiltrate.

9. Gentle slope/flat land=High Permeability, greater chance for water to infiltrate the soil

10. Capillarity (capillary action)
The ability of a soil to let water pass upwards towards the surface
Smaller grained soils (sand, silt, etc.) have the best capillarity action, and will pull water up the highest.
Capillarity occurs because of the attraction between soil grains and water molecules.

11. Which will have greater permeability?
WHY?

12. Capillarity Continued