What is weathering?

What is erosion?

What is deposition?

Write the answers on

the back of the notes

page

Texas Groundwater and Aquifers

What is groundwater?

– Water that is found underground in the cracks

and spaces in soil and rock.

– Water that is stored underground and is used

for human use is called an Aquifer.

Why is groundwater important?

• IT IS THE MAJOR SOURCE FOR

WATER!

– One third of the earth’s freshwater is located

in the form of ice.

– Rivers and lake water is easily

contaminated, as well as being over used.

– Nationally, half of the population of the USA

drinks groundwater. Most crops are irrigated

with ground water.

Evaporation and transpiration

Evaporation

Stream

Infiltration

Water table Infiltration

Unconfined aquifer

Confined aquifer

Lake

Well requiring a pump

Flowing

artesian well

Runoff

Precipitation

Confined

Recharge Area

Aquifer

Less permeable material

such as clay Confirming permeable rock layer

Ground Water

Fig. 15-3 p. 308

What is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land from which

all runoff drains, or 'sheds' to the same

river, lake, or other body of water.

Everyone lives in a watershed

Your own backyard is

part of a watershed.

You’re already in one! You don’t need to visit the Grand Canyon to see a watershed.

A Nested System Watersheds are also like Russian Matryoshka or nesting dolls. Larger watersheds contain smaller watersheds, which contain even smaller ones.

Weather & Watersheds: Rain

How do we pollute/contaminate

our watersheds?

1.Garbage/waste/dumping

2.Surface water run off

Texas Groundwater and Aquifers

• Human effects on groundwater!

– Pollutants on the land surface

– Buried items such as gasoline tanks, septic

systems (toilet, bath and sink water) and

landfills.

Supply of Water Resources

Fig. 15-2 p. 307

Freshwater Readily accessible freshwater

Biota

0.0001%

Rivers

0.0001%

Atmospheric

water vapor

0.0001%

Lakes

0.0007%

Soil

moisture

0.0005%

Groundwater

0.592%

Ice caps

and glaciers

0.592%

0.014%

Human water needs

• A person needs about 1/2 gallon water/day for hydration

• In the US each person uses about 188 gallons/day

• An additional 657 gallons/person/day are used for irrigation, industrial use.

• If the world’s water supply were 100 liters, the usable supply would be about 0.5 tsp

• US has highest per capita water withdrawal, followed by Canada, Australia, Russia, Japan

How water is used

• In the western US, irrigation makes up

85% of all water use

--50% to grow food for livestock

-- 35% to grow crops

Not sustainable…cost of water is heavily

subsidized by the federal government

Effects of Pollution on the

Environment?

• Short Term • Contaminated water

• Kills plants and animals

• Destroys the natural

beauty of a habitat

• Long Term • Health problems

• Loss of drinking and

irrigation water

• Birth defects

• Loss of different species

(plant or animal)

Sources of Pollution Precipitation runoff from farms, lawns, and paved surfaces is

the leading source of water pollution in America today.

NONPOINT SOURCES

Urban streets

Suburban development

Wastewater treatment plant

Rural homes

Cropland

Factory

Animal feedlot

POINT SOURCES

Fig. 22-4 p. 494

Aquifers

• An aquifer is a body of highly permeable

rock that can store water and yield

sufficient quantities to supply wells.

• Bodies of gravel and sand generally are

good aquifers, because they tend to be

highly permeable and often have large

dimensions.

Figure 15.1

Flash Flooding How does flooding effect us in the short term? Long term? (Write answers in notes.)

Weather & Watersheds: Drought

1. Reduced soil moisture

(plant stress)

2. Reduced water levels in

lakes, reservoirs,

wetlands

4. Groundwater depletion,

land subsidence

3. Reduced water flow in

streams, rivers, springs

5. Water quality problems

How can drought impact a watershed?