Summary: Ppt Lec 1

Read the summary and the most important questions on PPT Lec 1

• 1 Part 1

• 1.1 What is hydrogeology

• What are the 5 hydrogeology and 4 catchment hydrology components that form the two main branches of hydrology?

  Hydrogeology:
  
  • Groundwater flow
  • Groundwater quality
  • Geothermal systems
  • Petroleum Hydrogeology
  • Variable-density systems
  
  Catchment hydro: 
  
  • Surface-water flow
  • Hydrochemistry
  • Hydrometeorology• Ecohydrology

• Name the 10 processes and elements of the water cycle that occur on land and two relevant soil properties for water flow and storage (in aquifers).

  1. Water storage in ice and snow
  2. Surface runoff
  3. Infiltration
  4. Percolation
  5. Soil Moisture
  6. Water table
  7. GW flow
  8. Stream flow
  9. River discharge
  10. Ocean

  
  
  2 geological processes
  1. Soil heterogeneity
  2. Bedrock

• Name the 7 processes and elements of the water cycle that occur in the atmosphere and two relevant soil properties for water flow and storage (in aquifers).

  1. Evaporation
  2. Evapotranspiration
  3. Condensation (latent heating of the atmosphere)
  4. Radiative exchange
  5. Clouds & water vapor
  6. Precipitation
  7. Boundary layer (and exchange with free atmosphere)

• The saturated and unsaturated zones are divided by the water table. Where do capillary fringe, groundwater and soil water belong in this division?

  Capillary fringe - unsaturated zone
  Soil water - unsaturated
  GW - saturated

• Groundwater is a type of Geofluids, held in aquifers. What is the definition of an aquifer?

  
  Aquifers consist of a porous medium with properties favourable for the storage and flow of appreciable quantities of water.
  
  
  When hydrocarbons are concerned, the term reservoirs is
  commonly used instead of aquifer.

• Aquifers hold groundwater and can be confined and unconfined. Describe a geological setting for a confined aquifer. Tip: think about the alluvial fan modelling assignment.

  See the picture

• 1.2 How important is groundwater to sustain human livelihood?

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• Name the pros and cons of the availability and quality of GW and surface water and assume that they are well-managed.

  
  Surface water: 
  ++ Easily accessible
  ++ Often plentiful (sometimes too much)
  -- Not always a steady supply (seasonal flow)
  -- Prone to contamination from surface sources
  
    Groundwater
  ++ Often steady source (if welll managed)
  ++ Often of good quality (if welll managed)
  -- Difficult to access (needs borehole construction)
  -- Difficult to find (needs prospecting)

• 1.3 Where does groundwater occur?

• Learn your nrs - What is the order of magnitude of freshwater distribution in rivers, lakes, atmo and biosphere and how is this made up out of the total water availability on the earth?

  See fig

• Learn your nrs - Give an indication of the water inventories per reservoir (think ocean, river, ice cap) in 106 km3/yr. 

  See fig

• Name a fun fact about the order of magnitude about the aquifer distribution on the land surface of the earth. Bonus points if you can name 3

  Roughly half of the Earth surface consists of good aquifers!