Water Science School
Groundwater
Groundwater is one of our most valuable resources—even though you probably never see it or even realize it is there. There is water somewhere beneath your feet no matter where on Earth you live. Groundwater starts as precipitation, just as surface water does, and once water penetrates the ground, it continues moving, sometimes quickly and sometimes very slowly. Eventually groundwater emerges back to the surface and continues to participate in the global water cycle.
Groundwater and the water cycle
Large amounts of water are stored in the ground. The water is still moving, possibly very slowly, and it is a part of the water cycle.
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Groundwater Information by Topic
Groundwater is one of our most valuable resources—even though you probably never see it or even realize it is there. There is water somewhere beneath your feet no matter where on Earth you live. Groundwater starts as precipitation, just as surface water does, and once water penetrates the ground, it continues moving, sometimes quickly and sometimes very slowly. Eventually groundwater emerges...
Water Science Photo Galleries
Learn about water using pictures
The Water Science School -- What We Offer
The U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science School
Where anyone of any age can learn all about water.
La Ciencia del Agua para Escuelas
La Ciencia del Agua para Escuelas
Groundwater Quality
Even though the ground is an excellent mechanism for filtering out particulate matter, such as leaves, soil, and bugs, dissolved chemicals and gases can still occur in large enough concentrations in groundwater to cause problems.
Base Flow in Rivers
When a drought hits and little or no rain has fallen in a long time, you might expect small streams and even larger rivers to just dry up, right? In many cases, they don't. Streamflow might lessen to a trickle or so, but water continues to flow. How is that possible? Read on to find out how "base flow", which is water seeping into the stream from groundwater, helps keep water in streams during...
Groundwater True/False Quiz
How much do you know about the water below your feet? Take our Groundwater True/False Quiz and find out.
Groundwater: What is Groundwater?
There is an immense amount of water in aquifers below the earth's surface. In fact, there is a over a thousand times more water in the ground than is in all the world's rivers and lakes. Here we introduce you to the basics about groundwater.
Water Science Activity Center
This is the interactive section of our site where you can answer challenge questions, participate in opinion surveys about water issues, and take true/false quizzes.
Groundwater Photo Gallery
Learn about groundwater using pictures.
Water Properties True/False Quiz
How much do you know about water properties? Take our Water Properties True/False Quiz and find out.
Groundwater Flow and the Water Cycle
Yes, water below your feet is moving all the time, but, no, if you have heard there are rivers flowing below ground, that is not true. Water moves underground downward and sideways, in great quantities, due to gravity and pressure. Eventually it emerges back to the land surface, into rivers, and into the oceans to keep the water cycle going.
Note: This section of the Water Science...
Groundwater Storage and the Water Cycle
The ground stores huge amounts of water and it exists to some degree no matter where on Earth you are. Lucky for people, in many places the water exists in quantities and at depths that wells can be drilled into the water-bearing aquifers and withdrawn to server the many needs people have.
Note: This section of the Water Science School discusses the Earth's "natural" water cycle...