Transcript Water - DrScott

Water
The Hydrologic Cycle
Surface Water, Bosnia
Water and Human Life
• The biggest single cause of infant mortality
worldwide is diarrhea from contaminated
water
• Many in Third World think infant diarrhea
is normal
• Women in developing countries spend up to
1/3 of their time getting water
• Water-borne parasites
Ground Water
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Mostly confined to permeable rocks called
aquifers
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Surface deposits
Porous rocks: sandstone
Fractured rocks: limestone
Underground Streams are rare, short, and
small
Your well does not get its water from an
underground river.
Aquifers
• Water gets in from the surface at the
recharge zone
• Boundary of water-saturated rocks is the
water table or piezometric surface
– Intersects surface at springs, swamps and ponds
• Special types
– Artesian (pressurized)
– Perched
Misuse of Ground Water
• Contamination of Recharge Zone
• Excessive Drawdown
– Can dry out nearby wells or springs
– Can suck in salt or contaminated water
– Can cause land subsidence
Green Bay Case Study
Deep Aquifers of the Green Bay Area
Green Bay Piezometric Surface
1957
1960
Green Bay Piezometric Surface
1957
2003
The Russian Radioactive Waste
Injection Program
Center-Pivot Irrigation
Center-Pivot Irrigation
Some Places Have Too Much Water
Soluble Rocks
Open-channel aquifers (caverns,
open fractures, etc.) are very
fragile because contaminants can
move quickly over long distances
(Door County)