Water 1 Groundwater Flashcards
How much of Dutch drinking water comes from groundwater and why is this?
65% because quality is better and more consistent than surface water.
drawdown
the groundwater table drop near an extraction tube.
desiccation
the process of becoming too dry. This is due to the extraction of too much groundwater.
water storage in root zone through the seasons
plants use water in root zone, which decreases soil moisture.
Water stored in root zone in the winter season is an important source of water durign crop growth in summer.
How does capillary rise vary?
depends on distance between groundwater table and root zone
soil type
evapotranspiration rate.
Negative impacts of a high/ shallow water table?
yield reductions - plants do not have enough oxygen
clayey, loamy adn peaty soils become soft and cattle/ cultivation vehicles compact or damage topsoil.
types of irrigation
sprinkling (spraying over a field)
drip-irrigation - water drips through a hose with holes. This limits loss, reduces ponding, surface runoff and evaporation
Impacts of long-term irrigation
- large amounts of dissolved salts
capillary rise transports salts to irrigated soils. High salinity reduces water extraction capacity for plants
which balance is needed for plants relating to groundwater?
you need oxygen and water so cannot be saturated and completely dry.
location factors
requirements for vegetation to grow. These are primarily determined by groundwater and human interference.
Sources of pollution for groundwater
agriculture, industry discharges, heavy metals and solvents.
What are the 4 dangerous questions about groundwater pollution
- do pollutants reach groundwater?
- when they reach groundwater, where do they go?
- how fast do they move in groundwater?
- effect on quality of water?
hanging water
water hld by the soil against gravity
how does groundwater affect spatial planning?
the drier or wetter areas just become nature reserves.
other uses of groundwater
heat exchange ti heat/ cool houses.
unconsolidated sediment
loose soil material such as sand, clay, gravel
consolidated sediment
bedrock
soil conductivity
a measure of how easily water can flow through soil material. It is used to compute groundwater flow.
saturated hydraulic conductivity
maximum conductivity when soil is saturated.
Does water flow more easily through saturated or unsaturated soil?
unsaturated.
anisotropic
soil conducivity is higher in one direction than the other bcause of the way the soil is layered.
isotropic
conductivity is the same in all directions.
porosity of soil
the fraction of soil volume that is not taken up by soil particles. In saturated soil, this gives the water fraction in the soil.
effective porosity of soil
the fraction of the soil volume that is filled with water than can move. This can be used to compute flow velocities and residence times.
larger or smaller grains have higher conductivity?
larger grains have higher conductivity
what does the product of conducitvity k and layer thickness D determine?
the capacity of a layer to transport water horizontally or to limit vertical waterflow
what is the unit of conductance/ transmissivity
m 2 d -1 where d is day
equation for conductance
kD= k x D