Groundwater: Digging Deep (In-Class Activity) 1G03 Part 1: Groundwater Basics (10 Points) 1. Imagine yourself standing on a thick sponge. Explain why this is a good analogy for understanding groundwater (2 points). Saying it is like a sponge is effective because a sponge is characterized by small holes – pores filled with water. Soil and rock have pore spaces that store groundwater (Explanation: This goes to show that the process of storing water has a porosity aspect to it. 2. List three ways in which groundwater is crucial for our planet and its inhabitants (3 points). 1. Providing drinking water: This is essential in provicing us and many other life forms with fresh water. 2. Supporting plant growth: Water is very essential in plant growth and development and most of the plant source their water needs from the GROUND WATER. 3. Regulating streamflow: It is a source of water to sustain human beings, animals, plants and also sustains stream and rivers during dry seasons 3. Fill in the blanks: Groundwater moves through ________ spaces in rock and soil. These spaces are called ________ (2 points). ● Groundwater moves through porous spaces in rock and soil. These spaces are called aquifers 4. Distinguish between two main types of aquifers (porous vs. fractured) in a short sentence (3 points). 1. Porous aquifers: These are composed of interconnecting pore spaces by which water can freely drain and the spaces are not very small at all, they are like sand and gravel. 2. Fractured aquifers: These have fissures and joints that form pathways through which water can freely move; these are; limestone, granite among others. Part 2: The Groundwater Journey (15 Points) 1. You're a raindrop on a mission to reach the groundwater table! Trace your potential journey: One could penetrate through the gaps in pavement like the sidewalks or through the uncovered bare soil where plants would not be expected to carry one through. 2. Describe two ways you could infiltrate the ground and become part of the groundwater system (2 points). - Tiny spaces between soil particles (like sand) or Larger cracks in rock (like fractures) 3. Once underground, explain how you might move through the soil and rock layers (2 points). - Steeper slope = faster flow (gravity pulls water down). Finer particles (clay) = slower flow (smaller pores restrict movement). Larger pore spaces (sand) = faster flow (more space for water to move). 4. What factors might influence how quickly or slowly you travel (e.g., slope, rock type)? (2 points). The water table is the upper limit with saturated zone where all the interstices with the rock are filled with water and unsaturated zone where it is filled partly with water partly with air. 5. Imagine you finally reach the groundwater table. Explain what the water table represents (2 points). 1. It can discharge through springs; this is water that has a tendency to gush out from the ground independently. 2. It can infiltrate the water bearing strata and replenish the surface water like streams and lakes. 3. It can be withdrawn through wells for human use. 6. Groundwater doesn't stay stagnant forever. Describe two ways groundwater eventually discharges back to the surface 1. Springs: Ground water comes out on the surface of the ground automatically when the water table meets the surface of the ground. This frequently occurs in regions such as hillslopes or crowned lands which have a high water table than the nearby land. 2. Seeps and Baseflow: The other way through which groundwater is discharged is through slow oozing into streams, lakes, and wetlands. This slow release assists in regulating the output of those shallow water bodies especially in years when there is limited precipitation.