Groundwater Resources

Groundwater resources are found in the pore spaces and cracks in rock formations and rocks beneath the Earth’s surface. About a third of the world’s readily available freshwater is found beneath the surface of the ground. When an erosional deposit or a unit of rock may provide usable water, it is a reservoir. What we call the water table is a term that describes how much water enters through soil pores, rocks, and fractures. Hydrogeology, or Groundwater hydrology, is the study of how and where Groundwater flows. Surface water is more prone to pollution, while Groundwater is less expensive, handier, and less easily contaminated.

Characteristics of Groundwater Resources

A layer of absorbent substrate that stores and transports groundwater is referred to as an aquifer. A water supply is said to be able to successfully make when water may flow freely between the saturated zone and the surface. Gravity encourages water to flow downward. Therefore the deeper an aquifer is, the more saturated it is.

The water table or phreatic surface refers to the uppermost portion of this saturated layer of an unconfined aquifer. It is in the pore pressure zone that water fills every pore space below groundwater level.

Aquitard is a low-porosity substrate that only allows for limited groundwater transport.

Aquifers are protected from leakage by impermeable rock or substrate layers, such as an Aquitard or Aquiclude, covering an aquifer. 

Groundwater can get pressured if it flows downhill from its recharge zone in a constrained aquifer. As a result, artesian wells that flow without a pump and rise beyond the static water table at the above aquifer can be created.

30% of the world’s freshwater supply comes from groundwater resources, which account for 0.76 percent of all water on the planet, including oceans and permanent ice.

Groundwater accounts for nearly all of the world’s liquid freshwater.

There is nearly the same quantity of freshwater in the snow and ice pack as in the global groundwater resources. In times of drought, it can serve as a natural reservoir that can protect against water shortages on the surface. 

Groundwater Resources in India

India is the world’s biggest consumer of Groundwater. A fourth of the world’s Groundwater is consumed by the industries every year and over 60% of agricultural production relies on Groundwater.  85% of the  drinking water come  from Groundwater source

Groundwater is a renewable resource because soil water seeps into the ground and flows down to fill holes and cracks in bedrock and sand when there is rain or other precipitation.

The Temperature of Groundwater Resources

specific heat capacity can keep groundwater resources at a relatively constant temperature thanks to the water’s large specific heat capacity and the insulating properties of soil and rock. Groundwater can regulate surface temperatures in some areas where groundwater temperatures are maintained at around 10 °C (50 °F) due to specific heat capacity. Groundwater could be pushed through a radiator in a house to keep it cool in hot weather then returned to the ground in another well. Water could be used as a heat source for heat pumps during the cold seasons because it is relatively warm and more effective than air.

Quantities of Groundwater Resources

There are many ways to estimate the volume of groundwater resources in an aquifer, including detecting water levels in local wells and analysing the depth, thickness, and spread of water-bearing sediments and rocks from well-drilling. To find out how deep water can be found, you need to get samples of soil, rock, and water for lab analysis before you spend a lot of money on production wells..

Uses of Groundwater Resources

Some aquifer underlies every land area on the planet, sometimes at considerable depths. Humans are depleting some of these aquifers at an alarming rate.

Groundwater is the world’s most valuable natural resource. India, China, the United States, Pakistan, and Iran were the top five groundwater extraction countries in 2010. Seventy percent of the Groundwater pumped out is used in agriculture. Whether it’s for drinking, irrigation, or manufacturing, Groundwater is the most widely used source of freshwater. Groundwater provides 50% of the world’s drinking water.

Conclusion

Groundwater is the water that seeps through rocks and soil pores and is found beneath the surface of the Earth. Groundwater accounts for about 30 percent of the world’s readily available freshwater. Groundwater resources account for roughly 0.76 percent of the world’s total freshwater supply. Groundwater is the world’s most valuable natural resource. Aquifers underlie nearly all of Earth’s land surface.

One-fourth of the world’s groundwater sources in India are renewable resources because Soil water seeps into the ground and flows down to fill holes and cracks in bedrock and sand when there is rain or other precipitation.