Hydrology unit 1

Hydrologic cycle

Driven by solar energy

Geological hydrologic cycle

has to do with plate techtonics: how water moves through crustal subduction, powered by energy from the core of the earth

Flowpath

any path that water is moving through

precipitation

water coming from the atmosphere

evaporation

solar energy turns water molecules into gas into the atmosphere

transpiration

Controlled by the plants (surface and ground water

Runoff

water after precip hits the ground. makes it to a stream within 24 hours

water table

the boundary between the unsaturated zone and the saturated zone beneath the surface. the uppermost surface of the saturated zone

surface runoff

Rainfall diverted to streamflow or surface water above the water table

interception

Precip gets blocked and doesnt make it to the ground (leaves)

depression storage

water gets stored in the microtopography on the grounds surface

infiltration

water goes into the ground

recharge

surface water that moves to the underground aquifers, replenishing the groundwater supply

baseflow

Flow from an aquifer to a stream

discharge

volume of water per time that comes out of a flowpath

unsaturated zone

Zone below the soil but on top of the groundwater table

capillary fringe

between the saturated and unsaturated zones. water can move upwards though the small pores in the soil due to surface tension and adhesion

saturated zone

below the capillary fringe, where it is completely saturated with water

soil

a mixture of minerals, organic material, air, and water that forms the top layer of the Earth's crust

regolith

the layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock

bedrock

solid rock underlying loose deposits such as soil

aquifer

a set of rock/sediment that holds a lot of water; surrounded by geological features that don’t allow water movement

How do we know that water is moving in the subsurface?

aquifers, pore spaces, wells

Where does water occur in the subsurface

unsaturated zone and saturated zone, aquifers