– Importance of Groundwater:
– Groundwater accounts for about 30% of all readily available freshwater globally.
– Aquifers are units of rock or deposits that yield usable water.
– The water table marks the depth of complete saturation of soil pores or rock voids.
– Groundwater recharges from the surface and can naturally discharge at springs.
– Groundwater is crucial for agricultural, municipal, and industrial water needs.
– Characteristics of Groundwater:
– Beyond shallow aquifers, groundwater can include soil moisture and permafrost.
– It can exist in low permeability bedrock and deep geothermal formations.
– Groundwater potentially influences fault movement by providing lubrication.
– Earth’s subsurface likely contains water mixed with other fluids.
– Groundwater is less prone to pollution and often more cost-effective than surface water.
– Global Significance of Groundwater:
– Groundwater serves as the primary water source for over 2 billion people worldwide.
– California withdraws the most groundwater annually among U.S. states.
– Groundwater provides the largest usable water storage in the United States.
– Underground reservoirs hold more water than all surface reservoirs and lakes in the U.S.
– Many municipal water supplies rely solely on groundwater sources.
– Environmental Impact of Groundwater Use:
– Polluted groundwater is harder to detect and clean compared to surface water.
– Improper waste disposal on land is a common cause of groundwater pollution.
– Sources of pollution include industrial chemicals, agricultural runoff, and waste lagoons.
– Activities like fracking, mining, and oil storage contribute to groundwater contamination.
– Groundwater pollution poses significant environmental challenges globally.
– Challenges and Solutions:
– Addressing improper waste disposal practices is crucial to prevent groundwater pollution.
– Implementing stricter regulations on industrial and agricultural activities can reduce contamination.
– Developing advanced cleanup technologies for polluted groundwater sites is essential.
– Increasing public awareness about groundwater protection is key to sustainable water management.
– Collaborative efforts between governments, industries, and communities are necessary to safeguard groundwater resources.
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock become completely saturated with water is called the water table. Groundwater is recharged from the surface; it may discharge from the surface naturally at springs and seeps, and can form oases or wetlands. Groundwater is also often withdrawn for agricultural, municipal, and industrial use by constructing and operating extraction wells. The study of the distribution and movement of groundwater is hydrogeology, also called groundwater hydrology.
Typically, groundwater is thought of as water flowing through shallow aquifers, but, in the technical sense, it can also contain soil moisture, permafrost (frozen soil), immobile water in very low permeability bedrock, and deep geothermal or oil formation water. Groundwater is hypothesized to provide lubrication that can possibly influence the movement of faults. It is likely that much of Earth's subsurface contains some water, which may be mixed with other fluids in some instances.
Groundwater is often cheaper, more convenient and less vulnerable to pollution than surface water. Therefore, it is commonly used for public water supplies. For example, groundwater provides the largest source of usable water storage in the United States, and California annually withdraws the largest amount of groundwater of all the states. Underground reservoirs contain far more water than the capacity of all surface reservoirs and lakes in the US, including the Great Lakes. Many municipal water supplies are derived solely from groundwater. Over 2 billion people rely on it as their primary water source worldwide.
Human use of groundwater causes environmental problems. For example, polluted groundwater is less visible and more difficult to clean up than pollution in rivers and lakes. Groundwater pollution most often results from improper disposal of wastes on land. Major sources include industrial and household chemicals and garbage landfills, excessive fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture, industrial waste lagoons, tailings and process wastewater from mines, industrial fracking, oil field brine pits, leaking underground oil storage tanks and pipelines, sewage sludge and septic systems. Additionally, groundwater is susceptible to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas and can cause land subsidence when extracted unsustainably, leading to sinking cities (like Bangkok) and loss in elevation (such as the multiple meters lost in the Central Valley of California). These issues are made more complicated by sea level rise and other effects of climate change, particularly those on the water cycle. Earth's axial tilt has shifted 31 inches because of human groundwater pumping.