What is it called when water sinks into the ground?

What is it called when water sinks into the ground?

Infiltration and the Water Cycle 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.

What is the process of water sinking into the ground?

Infiltration happens when water soaks into the soil from the ground level. It moves underground and moves between the soil and rocks. Some of the water keeps moving down into the soil to a level that is filled with water, called ground water.

What are the two processes happening when water is sinking into the ground?

When rain falls over the land, it may flow along the surface, infiltrate the soil—move into it from above ground—and percolate through the soil, moving downward to become groundwater. Groundwater in upper levels may flow into rivers, lakes, or oceans.

What happens if water does not sink in to the ground?

Some of the water that sinks into the ground is held in the soil. 64. Part of this water is used by plants and part evaporates from the soil at the surface. When water is not held in the soil and used by the plants or evaporated from the surface, it seeps down into the subsoil.

Why does infiltration happen?

Infiltration occurs when surface water enters the soil. The sponge soaks up the water until it can hold no more. At this point, the soil becomes saturated, but the excess water has to go somewhere. When this happens, we get overflow in the form of runoff, which is when surface water flows over land.

What occurs to the water that does not infiltrate the ground?

The water that does not infiltrate will evaporate. When rain falls on a sloping area, and it does not infiltrate immediately, it will run off following the slope to form small streams in the valleys.

When water is absorbed into the ground is it trapped in the ground?

When water is absorbed into the ground, is it trapped in the ground? no, When water is absorbed into the ground, it is not trapped there. It can be evaporated from the surface if it is close enough to the surface. Even if it goes deep down, it can still be pulled out by wells.

What happens to rain and snowmelt that does not sink into the ground to become groundwater?

Terms in this set (59) What happens to rain and snowmelt that does not sink into the ground to become groundwater? Some rain and snow that falls onto the land surface runs off into streams, some evaporates into the air, and some is absorbed by plants.

Why does soil sink in water?

Depleted, hard soil will not hold as many nutrients and water as fresh soil. Closed pores in hard soil do not allow water to pass through, causing the soil to sink with water from the sides of pots.

What is infiltration in geography?

Infiltration – Water soaks or filters into the soil. Surface runoff – Water moves across the surface of the earth becoming a stream, tributary or river. Percolation – Water moving from the soil into the spaces (pores) in the rock.

What is water infiltration in soil?

Soil infiltration refers to the soil’s ability to allow water movement into and through the soil profile. Water entering too slowly may lead to ponding on level fields, erosion from surface runoff on sloping fields, or inadequate moisture for crop production.

How does soil drainage affect the water cycle?

Farmers intentionally dig drainage ditches within and around their fields to prevent water logging of plants. This means that water moves initially via overland flow and then via small channels into rivers, affecting both the hydrograph and annual regimes of those rivers.