Lesson 1: Introduction Flashcards
a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms
water (H2O)
Earth is sometimes called the ____ because its most prominent feature blankets it.
blue planet
most prominent feature of the hydrosphere
global ocean
what percent of the earth’s surface is the ocean
71%
average depth of the ocean
3500 meters
name of the photo/view taken by Apollo 8 astronauts as their spacecraft emerged from behind the moon in December 1968
Earthrise
name of the photo/view taken by Apollo 17 in December 1972, showing the dark blue ocean and swirling cloud pattern that remind us of the importance of the oceans and atmosphere
The Blue Marble
percentage of freshwater to total supply of the planet
2.56%
percentage of glacial ice, groundwater, and surface water + soil moisture + atmosphere of the total fresh water supply
68.75%, 30.07%, 1.18%
Earth’s freshwater supply is not evenly distributed across the landmasses because of what 2 factors?
variations in precipitation and subsurface geology
conditions for groundwater systems in areas of abundant precipitation to provide large volumes of fresh water?
there are layers of permeable materials within subsurface
the best lithology as aquifer
unconsolidated sand and gravel
is groundwater considered nonrenewable? why or why not?
yes, because currently with increasing demand for freshwater, the replenish rate cannot keep up.
percentage of groundwater, glaciers and surface+soil moisture+atmosphere of total water supply
0.77%, 1.76%, 0.03%
dude who wrote that anecdote about water from 1952
John Steinbeck
T or F: Water was never assumed to be available and people constantly worried about its longevity
F: Water was ALWAYS assumed to be available and NO ONE WORRIED about its longevity until it seemed threatened
what happened in the gasoline issue during 1992?
- required to be reformulated so it contained at least 2% oxygen, to help with air pollution
- at that time, only needed chemicals for gasoline: ethanol and methyl tertiary butyl ether
after the gasoline issue in 1992, what happened then in 1996?
- 100 million barrels of MTBE were used to formulate gasoline. 10% MTBE,
- did improve air quality, but ended up contaminating groundwater (bc it has high solubility in water)
how much of the evaporated water from the oceans return as precipitation?
only 75% of the water from oceans go back to oceans because the other 25% remain as either surface or groundwater
Water is considered as the “___________” ; without it life is not possible
elixir of life
why did early civilizations always start near bodies of fresh water even though it’s considered flood prone?
- good food source
- source of potable water
on average how much potable water does a person need in a day
3 liters
T or F: There is an decreasing usage/demand of water through time.
F. There is an INCREASING usage/demand of water through time.
study of water
hydrology
concerned with the study of the occurrence, distribution, movement, and chemistry of all waters of the earth.
hydrology
interrelationship of geologic materials and processes with water.
hydrogeology
main focus of hydrogeology
groundwater, also surface water but mainly its interaction with groundwater
sometimes used as a synonym for hydrogeology, although it more properly describes an engineering field dealing with subsurface fluid hydrology
geohydrology
is the continual and cyclic transfer of water between the ocean, atmosphere, and land
hydrologic cycle
what primarily drives the hydrologic cycle?
solar radiation: causes evaporation, where it starts the cycle
Water varies in terms of its what?
salinity
the amount of electrically charged atoms called dissolved ions within water
salinity
dissolved ions in water
salts
Low-salinity water with very few dissolved ions is referred to as
freshwater
highly saline water is called
salt water
does pure water conduct electricity?
nope. it does only when there are dissolved ions
Humans’ primary sources of freshwater
streams, lakes, groundwater systems
where does groundwater occur?
in fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks, but the vast majority is contained in porous sedimentary material.
Precipitation that falls on the land surface may be temporarily stored as ice and snow or water in puddles aka?
depression storage
describe the rate of the hydrologic cycle in different areas of the globe
in equatorial or subequatorial regions, it’s usually faster (bc more heat) than compared to the poles
defined as water that flows over the land surface in rills and gullies
Overland flow
2 types of flow for overland flow
either diffuse sheet flow or concentrated flow
describes the tendency of water to flow horizontally across land surfaces when rainfall has exceeded infiltration capacity and depression storage capacity
Horton overland flow, named after Robert E. Horton
the process of water entering/seeping into the subsurface
Infiltration
also known as the zone of aeration
vadose zone
also known as the vadose zone
zone of aeration
the region below the land surface where soil pores contain both air and water.
Vadose zone/zone of aeration
Water stored in zone of aeration
vadose water
The top of the zone of aeration where the roots of plants can reach
belt of soil water
a term that refers to the lateral flow of water in the vadose zone (to streams, lakes, rivers)
interflow
Excess vadose water is pulled downward to the zone of saturation by the gravity in a process known as
gravity drainage
how does groundwater move to the vadose zone?
capillary rise
Is evaporation restricted to open water bodies, such as the ocean, lakes, streams, and reservoirs?
nope, sometimes if the water table is near the surface, groundwater can evaporate, also in plants, there’s transpiration, and also soil moisture
groundwater manifests on the surface as ?
springs
the lowest portion of the vadose zone where the pores of the soil are filled with capillary water so that the saturation approaches 100%
Capillary fringe
what do u call the water in the capillary fringe
capillary water
another term for zone of saturation
phreatic zone
the water in the capillary fringe is held in place by ?
capillary forces.
The top of the zone of saturation
water table
Water stored in the zone of saturation
groundwater
T or F: surface water contributes to ground water, but not the other way around
F. They both contribute to each other
The groundwater contribution to a stream
baseflow
movement of groundwater to oceans
subsea outflow
the total flow in a stream
runoff
how does water in oceans move to and from the lithosphere as magmatic water? how about lithosphere to the atmosphere?
oceans to litho -subduction
litho to oceans -sea floor vent
litho to atmo -rising magma in volcanoes
water contained within magmas deep in the crust
magmatic water (as water vapor)
the middle layer of the vadose zone, what do you call the water here?
intermediate belt; intermediate vadose water
what is soil water
soil moisture
types of lithologies that can be confining layers
fresh igneous rocks: granite, diorite;
metamorphic rocks
clay
lithified: claystone, shale
The hydrologic cycle operates in what type of system? what is the source of energy?
open; sun is constant source of energy
When water changes from one phase to another (solid, liquid, or gas) what change also occurs?
an accompanying change occurs in the heat energy of the water
The evaporation of water requires an input of energy, which is called ?
latent heat of vaporization.
At environmental temperatures (0oC to 40oC), the latent heat of vaporization (Hv) in calories per gram of water, can be calculated by using what equation ?
Hv= 597.3 – 0.564T
T- temp in C
When water condenses to a liquid form, an equivalent heat amount called ?
latent heat of condensation
term for the heat required to melt 1g of ice at 0 C
latent heat of fusion
value for latent heat of fusion
79.7 cal of heat
does ice have more energy than water?
nope
the process of turning solid into a vapor
sublimation
what do we need to calculate to get the energy required for sublimation
sum of the latent heat of vaporization and the latent heat of fusion
at 0 C what is energy required for sublimation to occur?
677 cal/g
Freezing of water releases how much heat?
79.7 cal/g
formation of frost at 0 C releases how much energy?
677 cal/g
The transportation of water through the hydrologic cycle and the accompanying heat transfers are vital to what?
heat balance of the earth
provides a quantitative means of evaluating the hydrologic cycle
hydrologic equation
the hydrologic equation is a simple statement of what law?
the law of mass conservation, e = mc^2
state the hydrologic equation
inflow = outflow +/- changes in storage
T or F: The hydrologic equation can be applied to hydrologic systems of any size, be it for a small reservoir or for an entire continent.
T
T or F: the hydrologic equation is area dependent and the elements of inflow must be measured over different time periods as outflow
- TIME dependent
- elements of inflow must be measured over the SAME time periods as outflow
The basic unit of surface-water hydrology
drainage basin
another term for drainage basin
catchment
consists of all the land area sloping toward a particular discharge point
drainage basin/catchment
catchments are outlined by surface-water boundaries aka ?
topographic divides (mountain ridges)
how many times larger are groundwater basin than watershed?
1.5x, but not applicable to phils, since the geology is complicated and constantly changing
the subsurface volume through which groundwater flows toward a specific discharge zone
groundwater basin
what surrounds the groundwater basin
groundwater divides (boundaries?)
T or F: The boundaries of surface water basin and the underlying groundwater basin do not necessarily coincide
T
The water budget of the area must account for both what?
ground water and surface water
The hydrologic inputs to an area may include
- Precipitation
- Surface water inflow into the area, including runoff and overland flow
- Groundwater inflow from outside the area
- Artificial import of water into the area through pipes and canals
- Artificial export of water through pipes and canals
The changes in storage necessary to balance the hydrologic equation include changes in the volume of:
- Surface water in streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds
- Soil moisture in the vadose zone
- Ice and snow at the surface
- Temporary depression storage
- Intercepted water on plant surfaces
- Groundwater below the water table
a person who studies the ways that groundwater moves through soil and rocks of the earth
hydrogeologist
