Chapter 27.3 Flashcards
Infiltration
The process by which water enters Earth & becomes groundwater below the surface.
Water table
The upper boundary of the saturated zone.
Aquifer
A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space.
Porosity
The percentage of the material’s total volume that is pore space.
What percent of water on Earth is salt water?
97%
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater?
3%
Where is the majority of freshwater found?
2% of the 3% is from glaciers.
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found?
1% of freshwater is found in lakes, rivers, & stored as ground water
What is precipitation?
- When water vapor in the air cools & condenses to form liquid water or ice crystals.
- Rain snow, sleet, & hail.
What is runoff?
Water runs of the land surface.
What is infiltration?
The process by which water enters Earth & becomes groundwater below the surface.
What is transpirtation?
When plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves.
What is evaporation?
When water enters the atmosphere as water vapor.
What is condensation?
When water vapor collides with other water vapor molecules to form water droplets.
What is the water cycle?
Water on land that goes into the air, then returns to the ground.
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage?
A porous ares where water easily passes through.
What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage?
Beneath the saturated zone, where water completely fills the pore spaces.
What is a water table?
The upper boundary of the saturated zone.
What does it mean if sediment is permeable?
The more permeable sediment is, the easier water can flow through the ground.
What is an aquifer?
A rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space.
What is the name of the Great Plains Aquifer?
Ogallala Aquifer
How many states does the Great Plains Aquifer run through?
8 states
What are the names of the states that the Great Plains Aquifer runs through?
South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, & Texas.
What is an aquitard?
Keeps water confined
How are water springs formed?
Springs form where the water table naturally meets Earth’s surface.
What is an artesian well?
Drilled into pressurized aquifers.
What is a cone of depression?
Direction that the water flows towards the well.
What is climate?
Long-term average of weather conditions.
What is weather
Day-to-day conditions
What are the spheres that make up Earth’s system?
Atmosphere Biosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere Cryosphere
What are the spheres that make up Earth’s system?
Atmosphere Biosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere Cryosphere
What is the Atmosphere?
air around us
What is the Biosphere?
everything organic
What is the Hydrosphere?
liquid water
What is the Cryosphere?
frozen water in snow, ice, and glaciers
What is the Lithosphere?
Earth’s outermost layer
What is the primary factor that influences climate at a given location?
latitude
Where is solar radiation most received on Earth?
the Equator
At what angle does the sun’s rays, hit the tropical axis?
90 degrees
At what angle does the sun’s rays hit the temperate zone?
45 degrees
At what angle does the sun’s rays hit polar?
30 degrees
