Groundwater & Wetlands

Lorena, BCMS-G, Summer 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Jar Demo - Discussion

What did you notice when the water was sprinkled into the jar? How did water interact with the pebble of layers? How does this model the way water is stored underground?
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How does water move underground?

Where does underground water come from? Underground water comes from precipitation. Water trickles down between particles of soil and through cracks and spaces in layers of rock. It is pulled down by gravity. The Story of Groundwater Song

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How does water go through different materials? Different types of rocks and soils have different sized spaces, or pores, between their particles.

Materials with large pores, like sand and gravel, allow water to pass through, or permeate. These are called permeable materials.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How does water go through different materials? (part 2) Other materials have few or no pores. Clay and granite have very small pores.

These materials are called impermeable, meaning that the water cannot pass through easily.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Which material is more permeable? Why?

Clay

Gravel

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Describe the water zones. 1. Precipitation soaks down through the unsaturated zone, which contains permeable layers of soil and rock. 2. The top of the saturated zone is called the water table. 3. Water reaches a level where it is saturated (full) of water. This is the saturated zone.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Water zones: A different look

Photo source: www. groundwater.org

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

What are 3 ways people can get water from an aquifer? Any underground layer of permeable rock or soil that holds water and allows it to move is called an aquifer. If people take water too fast from an aquifer before letting it recharge, the water level will drop and it will be harder for people to reach the water.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

What are 3 ways people can get water from an aquifer (part 2)
1. Springs - when groundwater bubbles or ows out of cracks in the rocks. 2. Wells - people can get groundwater from an aquifer by drilling a well below the water table. People use buckets or pumps to bring the water up. 3. Artesian wells - water is trapped between 2 layers of impermeable rock. Water pressure sends the water upwards the wells so people do not need to use buckets or pumps.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Tuesdays Warmup

Wednesday, June 27, 2012