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Groundwater• The zone of saturation is the depth below
Earth’s surface at which groundwater completely fills all the pores of a material.
• The water table is the upper boundary of the zone of saturation.
• The depth of the water table varies depending on local conditions.
• The topography of the water table follows the topography of the land above it.
Groundwater
Aquifers
Fractured Rock Aquifers• In metamorphic and/or igneous rocks, there are
rarely confined aquifers. • Instead, water is contained within the rock itself
in fractures and pore spaces.• Generally, the fractures decrease as depth
increases, due to pressure.• In WNC, more than 50% of the population
receives their water from wells drilled into fractured rock aquifers.
Evaporation within the Water Cycle
• Evaporation is what drives the surface-to-atmosphere connection of the water cycle
Evaporation
• Water vapor in the atmosphere
– 90% comes from surface waters – 10% from transpiration from plants.
• Heat energy is required to change water in its liquid form to its gaseous form.
• If you add heat to a material, does its temperature always rise?
Evaporation• Water in its gaseous form is a heat
“carrier.”• Once condensation occurs, the heat
energy is released back into the atmosphere.
• This is called latent heat, and serves to warm the atmosphere.
Heating Curve