Reservoirs in the Water Cycle

Reservoirs of water

Oceans, ice caps/glaciers, groundwater (aquifers), lakes/rivers

Flux

a flow of a quantity into or out of a reservoir

Aerated Zone

above the water the table

Reservoir

amount of some quantity

Zone of Saturation

area in a aquifer below the water table, all pores and fractures are saturated with water

Discharge Zone of Groundwater

area where water emerges at surface

Ocean

evapotranspiration > precipitation

Permeability

going through

Hydraulic Head

groundwater moves from high to low

Wells

hole dug down to the water table, water pumped from well replaced by groundwater flow,

Porosity/Permeability of Clay

is impermeable, not very much pore space

Sinkholes

karsts landscapes, then groundwater being removed increases risks

Karsts

landscape created when water dissolves limestone and dolomite (caves, underground rivers)

Unconfined Aquifer

permeable material between aquifer and surface, recharged locally, readily contaminated

Porosity/Permeability of Sand

permeable, has pore space

Land

precipitation > evapotranspiration

Aquifer

saturated body of rock below the water table

Confined Aquifer

seperated from surface by relatively impermeable layer (aquitard), recharge is not local

Becoming Groundwater

some fraction of rain infiltrates the soil percolates into the ground ground reaches the water table, and becomes groundwater

Porosity

the fraction of total volume occupied by pore space or voids

Water Table

the level below which the ground is saturated with water

Subsidence

volume decreases when water is removed

Artesian Springs

water is confined aquifer has hydraulic head due to relative elevation of water table in the recharge zone, water is usually pure because of distance traveled

Recharge Zone of Groundwater

where water infiltrates and moves downward