| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Groundwater |
|
| |
Rain
or melted snow that soaks into the ground is called groundwater.
This water fills spaces between particles of soil and rock. Groundwater
keeps sinking until it reaches a layer of rock or clay that it cannot
move
through. Some layers of rock or clay act like a dam to keep the
water from
moving deeper. The water can slowly flow over the top of these layers. |
|
| | The
layer of rock and soil that groundwater occupies is an aquifer.
The top level of groundwater in an aquifer is the water
table. The level
of a water table changes during the year. It will rise when water
is added
by rain or melting snow. It will become lower when there is a drought.
Many people get their water from wells that go into an aquifer.
The water
table will become lower when people pump water out of the aquifer
faster
than it is replaced. If we do not use groundwater wisely, some aquifers
may become dry. |
|
| |
|
How is fresh water different from ocean water? |
|
| |
2. |
Descriptive In your science
journal, write a
description of how a lake or pond might change if the water table
lowers. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
If too
much ground
water is pumped out of an aquifer, the water table in the area will
drop. That can cause lakes like this one to dry up and wells to
go dry. |
|
|
| |
Some water
falling
on the ground seeps
into spaces in the
soil and rocks. |
| | Pollution
from the
surface can seep
into the groundwater
in the same way that
rain does. |
|
|
|
| |
The water
table is
lower in places where
people are using
groundwater faster
than it can be refilled. |
|
| |
The water
table is
rarely level. It usually
follows the slope of
the land. It is higher beneath hills and
lower in valleys. |
| |
A lake,
pond,
stream, or swamp
forms where the
water table meets
the surface. |
|