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For groundwater "potentiometric surface" is a synonym of "piezometric surface" which is an imaginary surface that defines the level to which water in a confined aquifer would rise were it completely pierced with wells. [1] If the potentiometric surface lies above the ground surface, a flowing artesian well results.
The ocean plays a key role in the water cycle as it is the source of 86% of global evaporation. [2] The water cycle involves the exchange of energy, which leads to temperature changes. When water evaporates, it takes up energy from its surroundings and cools the environment. When it condenses, it releases energy and warms the environment.
Hydraulic head (or piezometric head) is a specific measurement of the potential of water above a vertical datum. [7] It is the height of the free surface of water above a given point beneath the surface. [4] Pumping level is the level of water in the well during pumping. [8] Specific capacity is the well yield per unit of drawdown. [8]
The portion above the water table is the vadose zone. It may be visualized as the "surface" of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. [2] In coarse soils, the water table settles at the surface where the water pressure head is equal to the atmospheric pressure (where gauge pressure = 0
Groundwater recharge or deep drainage or deep percolation is a hydrologic process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in the vadose zone below plant roots and is often expressed as a flux to the water table surface.
Surface runoff often occurs because impervious areas (such as roofs and pavement) do not allow water to soak into the ground. Furthermore, runoff can occur either through natural or human-made processes. [5] Surface runoff is a major component of the water cycle. It is the primary agent of soil erosion by water.
A water well is a mechanism for bringing groundwater to the surface by drilling or digging and bringing it up to the surface with a pump or by hand using buckets or similar devices. The first historical instance of water wells was in the 52nd century BC in modern-day Austria . [ 20 ]
Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table The vadose zone , also termed the unsaturated zone , is the part of Earth between the land surface and the top of the phreatic zone , the position at which the groundwater (the water in the soil's pores) is at atmospheric pressure ("vadose" is ...