9.9 and 9.10 homework

What geological roles does groundwater play? Choose all that apply.

Groundwater erodes bedrock through dissolution. And Groundwater sustains streams during periods of no rainfall.

What is groundwater, and how does it relate to the water table

Groundwater is water that occupies the zone of saturation within the ground. The water table is the upper limit of the groundwater.

What percentage of Earth's total freshwater supply is groundwater?

30.1 percent

Why does groundwater discharge to Earth's surface?

Earth's surface is irregular, and permeability decreases with depth within Earth.

Contrast porosity and permeability.

Porosity is the percentage of the total volume of rock or sediment that consists of pore spaces, whereas permeability is the ability of a rock or sediment to transmit fluid.

When rain falls on land, what factors influence the amount of water that soaks in? Choose all that apply.

The amount of vegetation on the surface The steepness of the slope The intensity of rainfall The nature of the surface material

How would the water table be affected if Earth were made up of uniform, permeable material?

The water table would not exist.

How does the use of water by humans affect the water table?

Use of water by humans increases discharge, resulting in lowered water tables.

What factors cause water to follow the paths shown in the diagram? (Figure 1)

Water that enters the groundwater at the recharge areas moves downward as a result of gravity and then rises upward to the discharge areas because of water pressure.

Which of the following would produce a LOWER water table? CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY.

a decrease in the amount of recharge to groundwater an increase in the amount of discharge to surface water

What is the water table?

the top of the saturated zone beneath Earth's surface