Hydrology Hydrology An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. A common misconception is that groundwater exists in underground rivers (e.g. caves where water flows freely underground). This is only true in eroded limestone areas known as Karst topography which make up only a small percentage of Earth's area. More usual is that the pore spaces of rocks in the subsurface are simply saturated with water — like a kitchen sponge, which can be pumped out and used for agricultural, industrial or municipal uses. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology. ...more on Wikipedia about "Aquifer"
An Aquifer test is conducted to evaluate an aquifer by "stimulating" the aquifer through constant pumping, and observing the aquifer's "response" ( drawdown) in observation wells. Aquifer testing is a common tool that hydrogeologists use to characterize a system of aquifers, aquitards and flow system boundaries. ...more on Wikipedia about "Aquifer test"
An aquitard is a geological formation of layers comprised either of clay, with tiny connected pores, or on non-porous rock that restrict water flow from one aquifer to another. ...more on Wikipedia about "Aquitard"
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer whose water is pressurized. Water will thus flow out of an artesian well without pumping. ...more on Wikipedia about "Artesian aquifer"
A balancing lake (also "flood basin") is an essential element of an urban drainage system, as a means of flood storage and thus control. In the United States, these are frequently referred to as stormwater management ponds. ...more on Wikipedia about "Balancing lake"
The capillary fringe is the subsurface layer in which water molecules seep up from a water table by capillary action to fill pores. Pores at the base of the capillary fringe are filled with water due to tension saturation. This saturated portion of the capillary fringe is less than total capillary rise because of the presence of a mix in pore size. If pore size is small and relatively uniform, it is possible that soils can be completely saturated with water for several feet above the water table. Alternately, the saturated portion will extend only a few inches above the water table when pore size is large or non-uniform. Capillary action supports an unsaturated zone above the saturated base within which water content decreases with distance above the water table. In soils with a wide range in pore size, the unsaturated zone can be several times thicker than the saturated zone. ...more on Wikipedia about "Capillary fringe"
A current is fluid flow, especially of water or air. A current is any continuous, directed movement of a fluid. Naturally occurring currents can be explained as an increase in entropy. ...more on Wikipedia about "Current (fluid)"
Darcy is a unit of permeability. It is not an SI unit, but it is widely used in petroleum engineering and geology. The darcy has units of area. ...more on Wikipedia about "Darcy"
Darcy's Law is a phenomologically derived constituative equation that describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium (typically water through an aquifer). The law was formulated by Henry Darcy based on the results of 1855 and 1856 experiments on the flow of water through beds of sand. It, along with the conservation of mass, comprises the groundwater flow equation, which is one the basic building relationships of hydrogeology. ...more on Wikipedia about "Darcy's law"
A Detention basin is an artificial flow control structure that is used to contain flood water for a limited period of a time. A detention basin provides protection for areas below it by containing flood water for a short period of time. This is opposed to a retention basin that holds water for an extended period of time. These basins are generally a part of a larger engineered flood water management system. ...more on Wikipedia about "Detention basin"
In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. The unit used is usually m3/s (cubic meters per second). For example, the average discharge of the Rhine river is 2200 m3/s. The greater the discharge of a river, the more ability it has to carry sediment. The discharge of a river can be estimated by taking the area of a cross-section of the river and multiplying it by the river's velocity. ...more on Wikipedia about "Discharge (hydrology)"
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies. ...more on Wikipedia about "Drainage"
Drainage in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana has been a major concern and an important facor in the History of New Orleans since the city's founding in the early 18th century. ...more on Wikipedia about "Drainage in New Orleans"
A drainage system is the pattern formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular watershed. They are governed by the topography of the land, whether a particular region is dominated by hard or soft rocks, and the gradient of the land. ...more on Wikipedia about "Drainage system"
In water-related science and engineering there are two similar but distinct definitions in use for drawdown ...more on Wikipedia about "Drawdown (hydrology)"
A drought or an extreme dry periodic climate is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. Drought is not a purely physical phenomenon, but instead is an interplay between natural water availability and human demands for water supply. ...more on Wikipedia about "Drought"
Ecohydrology is a sub-discipline of hydrology that focuses on ecological processes involved in the hydrological cycle. These processes generally occur within the soil and plant foliage, and so emphasis is put on transpiration and thermodynamic energy balance at the land surface. ...more on Wikipedia about "Ecohydrology"
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration. In evaporation, water is evaporated off of lake or pond surfaces, and from rain droplets caught in the leaves of trees. Transpiration takes water out of the watershed by evaporation of water through the pores in leaves. The trees acquire water through their roots exclusively. ...more on Wikipedia about "Evapotranspiration"
A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. In the sense of "flowing water", the word is applied to the inflow of the tide, as opposed to the outflow or "ebb". ...more on Wikipedia about "Flood"
The construction of a Flownet is a graphical method used to solve two- dimensional steady-state groundwater flow problems through aquifers. The method is often used in civil engineering, hydrogeology or soil mechanics as a first check for problems of flow under hydraulic structures like dams or sheet pile walls. ...more on Wikipedia about "Flownet"
The word fluvial is used in geography and earth science to refer to all topics related to flowing water. Fluvial usually refers to rivers, streams and sometimes through flow, overland flow and percolation. Fluvial may also refer to glaciers and oceans, though these are usually known as glacial, oceanic and coastal. ...more on Wikipedia about "Fluvial" Simply www.shortopedia.com!
In the mid-1980s, the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) began constructing and deploying large fog collecting devices on Mount Sutton in Quebec. These simple tools consisted of a large piece of canvas (generally 12 m long and 4 m high) stretched between two 6 m wooden poles held up by guy wires, with a long trough underneath. Water would condense out of the fog onto the canvas, coalesce into droplets, and then slide down to drip off of the bottom of the canvas and into the collecting trough below. ...more on Wikipedia about "Fog Collection"
Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater that has remained in an aquifer for thousands or more years. The Ogallala and Nubian aquifers are among the most notable of fossil water reserves. Lake Vostok is an exceptional example that is not an aquifer. ...more on Wikipedia about "Fossil water"
The Great Manmade River or Great Man-made River (GMR) is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara Desert in Libya from a fossil aquifer. Some sources cite it as the largest engineering project ever undertaken. ...more on Wikipedia about "Great Manmade River"
Groundwater is water which may be flowing within aquifers below the water table. Within aquifers, the water flows through the pore spaces in unconsolidated sediments and the fractures of rocks. Groundwater is recharged from, and eventually flows to, the surface naturally; natural discharge often occurs at springs and seeps and can form oases or swamps. Groundwater is also often withdrawn for agricultural, municipal and industrial use through man-made wells. The study of the distribution and movement of groundwater is hydrogeology. ...more on Wikipedia about "Groundwater"
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