You can't see it, but a large portion of the world's freshwater lies underground. It may all start as precipitation, but through infiltration and seepage, water soaks into the ground in vast amounts. Water in the ground keeps all plant life alive and serves peoples' needs, too.
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Water cycle components » Atmosphere · Condensation · Evaporation · Evapotranspiration · Freshwater lakes and rivers · Groundwater flow · Groundwater storage · Ice and snow · Infiltration · Oceans · Precipitation · Snowmelt · Springs · Streamflow · Sublimation · Surface runoff
Groundwater begins as precipitation
Credit: Alan Cressler, USGS
Anywhere in the world, a portion of the water that falls as rain and snow infiltrates into the subsurface soil and rock. How much infiltrates depends greatly on multiple factors. Infiltration of precipitation falling on the ice cap of Greenland might be very small, whereas, as this picture of a stream disappearing into a cave in southern Georgia shows, a stream can act as a direct funnel right into groundwater!
Some water that infiltrates will remain in the shallow soil layer, where it will gradually move vertically and horizontally through the soil and subsurface material. Some of the water may infiltrate deeper, recharging groundwater aquifers. If the aquifers are porous enough to allow water to move freely through it, people can drill wells into the aquifer and use the water for their purposes. Water may travel long distances or remain in groundwater storage for long periods before returning to the surface or seeping into other water bodies, such as streams and the oceans.
Factors affecting infiltration
Credit: Kristina Ross
- Precipitation: The greatest factor controlling infiltration is the amount and characteristics (intensity, duration, etc.) of precipitation that falls as rain or snow. Precipitation that infiltrates into the ground often seeps into streambeds over an extended period of time, thus a stream will often continue to flow when it hasn't rained for a long time and where there is no direct runoff from recent precipitation.
- Base flow: To varying degrees, the water in streams has a sustained flow, even during periods of lack of rain. Much of this "base flow" in streams comes from groundwater seeping into the bed and banks of the stream.
- Soil characteristics: Some soils, such as clays, absorb less water at a slower rate than sandy soils. Soils absorbing less water result in more runoff overland into streams.
- Soil saturation: Like a wet sponge, soil already saturated from previous rainfall can't absorb much more ... thus more rainfall will become surface runoff.
- Land cover: Some land covers have a great impact on infiltration and rainfall runoff. Vegetation can slow the movement of runoff, allowing more time for it to seep into the ground. Impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and developments, act as a "fast lane" for rainfall - right into storm drains that drain directly into streams. Agriculture and the tillage of land also changes the infiltration patterns of a landscape. Water that, in natural conditions, infiltrated directly into soil now runs off into streams.
- Slope of the land: Water falling on steeply-sloped land runs off quicker and infiltrates less than water falling on flat land.
- Evapotranspiration: Some infiltration stays near the land surface, which is where plants put down their roots. Plants need this shallow groundwater to grow, and, by the process of evapotranspiration, water is moved back into the atmosphere.
Subsurface water
As precipitation infiltrates into the subsurface soil, it generally forms an unsaturated zone and a saturated zone. In the unsaturated zone, the voids—that is, the spaces between grains of gravel, sand, silt, clay, and cracks within rocks—contain both air and water. Although a lot of water can be present in the unsaturated zone, this water cannot be pumped by wells because it is held too tightly by capillary forces. The upper part of the unsaturated zone is the soil-water zone. The soil zone is crisscrossed by roots, openings left by decayed roots, and animal and worm burrows, which allow the precipitation to infiltrate into the soil zone. Water in the soil is used by plants in life functions and leaf transpiration, but it also can evaporate directly to the atmosphere. Below the unsaturated zone is a saturated zone where water completely fills the voids between rock and soil particles.
Infiltration replenishes aquifers
Natural refilling of deep aquifers is a slow process because groundwater moves slowly through the unsaturated zone and the aquifer. The rate of recharge is also an important consideration. It has been estimated, for example, that if the aquifer that underlies the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico—an area of slight precipitation—was emptied, it would take centuries to refill the aquifer at the present small rate of replenishment. In contrast, a shallow aquifer in an area of substantial precipitation such as those in the coastal plain in south Georgia, USA, may be replenished almost immediately.
Artificial recharge gives natural infiltration a push
People make great use of the water in underground aquifers all over the world. In fact, in some places, they pump water out of the aquifer faster than nature replenishes it. In these cases, the water table, below which the soil is saturated and possibly able to yield enough water that can be pumped to the surface, can be lowered by the excessive pumping. Wells can "go dry" and become useless.
Credit: Water Conserv II
In places where the water table is close to the land surface and where water can move through the aquifer at a high rate, aquifers can be replenished artificially. For example, large volumes of groundwater used for air conditioning are returned to aquifers through recharge wells on Long Island, New York.
Aquifers may be artificially recharged in two main ways:
- Rapid-infiltration pits: One way is to spread water over the land in pits, furrows, or ditches, or to erect small dams in stream channels to detain and deflect surface runoff, thereby allowing it to infiltrate to the aquifer
- Groundwater injection: The other way is to construct recharge wells and inject water directly into an aquifer
Natural and artificial recharge of groundwater
- Overview
You can't see it, but a large portion of the world's freshwater lies underground. It may all start as precipitation, but through infiltration and seepage, water soaks into the ground in vast amounts. Water in the ground keeps all plant life alive and serves peoples' needs, too.
• Water Science School HOME • Groundwater topics • The Water Cycle •
Water cycle components » Atmosphere · Condensation · Evaporation · Evapotranspiration · Freshwater lakes and rivers · Groundwater flow · Groundwater storage · Ice and snow · Infiltration · Oceans · Precipitation · Snowmelt · Springs · Streamflow · Sublimation · Surface runoff
Groundwater begins as precipitation
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.A small stream disappearing into Russell Cave, Alabama.
Credit: Alan Cressler, USGSAnywhere in the world, a portion of the water that falls as rain and snow infiltrates into the subsurface soil and rock. How much infiltrates depends greatly on multiple factors. Infiltration of precipitation falling on the ice cap of Greenland might be very small, whereas, as this picture of a stream disappearing into a cave in southern Georgia shows, a stream can act as a direct funnel right into groundwater!
Some water that infiltrates will remain in the shallow soil layer, where it will gradually move vertically and horizontally through the soil and subsurface material. Some of the water may infiltrate deeper, recharging groundwater aquifers. If the aquifers are porous enough to allow water to move freely through it, people can drill wells into the aquifer and use the water for their purposes. Water may travel long distances or remain in groundwater storage for long periods before returning to the surface or seeping into other water bodies, such as streams and the oceans.
Factors affecting infiltration
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.A future hydrologist studying groundwater infiltration. Fido assists by making depressions in the ground to demonstrate how small depressions in the ground can accumulate water, which then can sink into the ground ane recharge groundwater.
Credit: Kristina Ross- Precipitation: The greatest factor controlling infiltration is the amount and characteristics (intensity, duration, etc.) of precipitation that falls as rain or snow. Precipitation that infiltrates into the ground often seeps into streambeds over an extended period of time, thus a stream will often continue to flow when it hasn't rained for a long time and where there is no direct runoff from recent precipitation.
- Base flow: To varying degrees, the water in streams has a sustained flow, even during periods of lack of rain. Much of this "base flow" in streams comes from groundwater seeping into the bed and banks of the stream.
- Soil characteristics: Some soils, such as clays, absorb less water at a slower rate than sandy soils. Soils absorbing less water result in more runoff overland into streams.
- Soil saturation: Like a wet sponge, soil already saturated from previous rainfall can't absorb much more ... thus more rainfall will become surface runoff.
- Land cover: Some land covers have a great impact on infiltration and rainfall runoff. Vegetation can slow the movement of runoff, allowing more time for it to seep into the ground. Impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, roads, and developments, act as a "fast lane" for rainfall - right into storm drains that drain directly into streams. Agriculture and the tillage of land also changes the infiltration patterns of a landscape. Water that, in natural conditions, infiltrated directly into soil now runs off into streams.
- Slope of the land: Water falling on steeply-sloped land runs off quicker and infiltrates less than water falling on flat land.
- Evapotranspiration: Some infiltration stays near the land surface, which is where plants put down their roots. Plants need this shallow groundwater to grow, and, by the process of evapotranspiration, water is moved back into the atmosphere.
Subsurface water
As precipitation infiltrates into the subsurface soil, it generally forms an unsaturated zone and a saturated zone. In the unsaturated zone, the voids—that is, the spaces between grains of gravel, sand, silt, clay, and cracks within rocks—contain both air and water. Although a lot of water can be present in the unsaturated zone, this water cannot be pumped by wells because it is held too tightly by capillary forces. The upper part of the unsaturated zone is the soil-water zone. The soil zone is crisscrossed by roots, openings left by decayed roots, and animal and worm burrows, which allow the precipitation to infiltrate into the soil zone. Water in the soil is used by plants in life functions and leaf transpiration, but it also can evaporate directly to the atmosphere. Below the unsaturated zone is a saturated zone where water completely fills the voids between rock and soil particles.
Infiltration replenishes aquifers
Natural refilling of deep aquifers is a slow process because groundwater moves slowly through the unsaturated zone and the aquifer. The rate of recharge is also an important consideration. It has been estimated, for example, that if the aquifer that underlies the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico—an area of slight precipitation—was emptied, it would take centuries to refill the aquifer at the present small rate of replenishment. In contrast, a shallow aquifer in an area of substantial precipitation such as those in the coastal plain in south Georgia, USA, may be replenished almost immediately.
Artificial recharge gives natural infiltration a push
People make great use of the water in underground aquifers all over the world. In fact, in some places, they pump water out of the aquifer faster than nature replenishes it. In these cases, the water table, below which the soil is saturated and possibly able to yield enough water that can be pumped to the surface, can be lowered by the excessive pumping. Wells can "go dry" and become useless.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Rapid infiltration basins, Orlando, Florida. Large volumes of reclaimed wastewater, which has undergone advanced secondary treatment, are reused through land-based applications in a 40-square-mile area near Orlando, Florida. These applications include citrus crop irrigation and artificial recharge to the surficial aquifer through rapid infiltration basins. The basins take water that would otherwise have been wasted and recharge the aquifer.
Credit: Water Conserv IIIn places where the water table is close to the land surface and where water can move through the aquifer at a high rate, aquifers can be replenished artificially. For example, large volumes of groundwater used for air conditioning are returned to aquifers through recharge wells on Long Island, New York.
Aquifers may be artificially recharged in two main ways:
- Rapid-infiltration pits: One way is to spread water over the land in pits, furrows, or ditches, or to erect small dams in stream channels to detain and deflect surface runoff, thereby allowing it to infiltrate to the aquifer
- Groundwater injection: The other way is to construct recharge wells and inject water directly into an aquifer
Natural and artificial recharge of groundwater
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Natural and artificial recharge of groundwater