EOSC 210 Lecture 17: EOSC 210 Part 3
30 Dec 2016
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Groundwater: wate(cid:396) (cid:271)e(cid:374)eath the ea(cid:396)th(cid:859)s su(cid:396)fa(cid:272)e; ~ 1/5 of all f(cid:396)esh wate(cid:396) For use, the source must: be economical to extract from subsurface, satisfy certain criteria regarding quality. Stored in pore spaces and fractures of unconsolidated sediments and rocks. Important as a drinking water resource & domestic uses. Bc: irrigation, community supply, pulp mills, mining, industrial processes. Below this the ground is saturated; poor pressure = atmospheric. Roughly follows the topography of landscape & changes seasonally. Compare & contrast porosity, permeability, & hydraulic conductivity. Amount of empty space (pore space) in a porous medium (sediment / rock) Volume of pores in rock or soil, fraction or % of total volume n = vvoids. If saturated with water: defines how much water is present/ unit vtotal. Capacity to transmit fluids; depends on size distribution & connectivity of pores. Reflects properties of storage/ transport medium that influence flow and how voids in a porous medium are connected, not the properties of fluid.
