GROUNDWATER HYDROLOGY AND CONTAMINANT

TRANSPORT
CEVE 518

P.C. de Blanc
C.J. Newell

1. Hydrologic Cycle and Water

Distribution
2. Soil Horizons
3. Aquifers
4. Soil Texture
5. Porosity and Density
6. Saturation and Water Content
7. Hydraulic Head

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1. Hydrometeorological control
of hydrological pathways

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The science of meteorology has long been recognised as a separate
discipline, though students of the subject usually come to it from a
rigorous training in physics or mathe- matics.
The study of hydrometeorology may be seen as a branch of hydrology
linking the fundamental knowledge of the meteorologist with the needs
of the hydrologist.
In this text, hydrometeorology is taken to be the study of precipitation
and evaporation, the two fundamental phases in the hydrological cycle,
which involve processes in the atmosphere, and at the Earth’s
surface/atmosphere interface.

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The hydrologist will usually be able
to call upon the services of a
professional meteorologist for
weather forecasts and for special
studies, e.g. the magnitude of
extreme rainfalls.

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1.3.1 The atmosphere

The atmosphere forms a distinctive protective layer about 100 km

thick around theEarth.
Although both air pressure and density decrease rapidly and
continuously with increasing altitude, the temperature varies in an
irregular but characteristic way. The layers of the atmosphere,
‘spheres’, are defined by this temperature profile. After a gen- eral
decrease in temperature through the troposphere (Fig. 1.2), the
rise in temperature from heights of 20–50 km is caused by a layer
of ozone, which absorbs short-wave solar radiation, releasing
some of the energy as heat.

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Fig. 1.2 Structure of the atmosphere. (Adapted from Strangeways, I. (2007) Precipitation: Theory, Measurement and Distribution, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.)
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1.3.1.1 Atmospheric pressure and density

- atmospheric pressure is ‘the weight of a column of air

of unit area of cross-section from the level of
measurement to the top of the atmosphere’.

- pressure may be considered to be the downward force on a

unit horizontal area resulting from the action of gravity (g) on
the mass (m) of air vertically above.

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1.3.1.2 Chemical composition

Dry air has a very consistent chemical composition

throughout the atmosphere up to the mesopause at 80
km.

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1.3.1.3 Water vapour
 
The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere
(Table 1.3) is directly related to the temperature and thus,
although lighter than air, water vapour is restricted to the
lower layers of the troposphere because temperature
decreases with altitude.

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1.3.1.3 Water vapour
 
The water vapour content or humidity of air is usually
measured as a vapour pressure, and the units used are
millibars (mb).
(a) Saturation. Air is said to be saturated when it contains
the maximum amount of water vapour it can hold at its
prevailing temperature. The relationship between
saturation vapour pressure (e) and air temperature is
shown in Fig. 1.3. At typical temperatures near the
ground, e ranges from 5 to 50 mb. At any tem-
perature T = Ta , saturation occurs at corresponding
vapour pressure

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1.3.1.3 Water vapour
 
The water vapour content or humidity of air is usually
measured as a vapour pressure, and the units used are
millibars (mb).
(a) Saturation. Air is said to be saturated when it contains
the maximum amount of water vapour it can hold at its
prevailing temperature. The relationship between
saturation vapour pressure (e) and air temperature is
shown in Fig. 1.3. At typical temperatures near the
ground, e ranges from 5 to 50 mb. At any tem-
perature T = Ta , saturation occurs at corresponding
vapour pressure

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1.3.1.3 Water vapour
 
a) Saturation.

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1.3.1.3 Water vapour
 
(b) Dew point is the temperature, Td , at which a mass
of unsaturated air becomes saturated when cooled, with
the pressure remaining constant. In Fig. 1.3, if the air at
temperature Ta is cooled to Td , the corresponding
saturation vapour pressure, ed , represents the amount
of water vapour in the air.
c. Saturation deficit is the difference between the
saturation vapour pressure at air temperature, Ta , and
the actual vapour pressure represented by the
saturation vapour pressure at Td , the dew point. The
saturation deficit, ea − ed , represents the further amount
of water vapour that the air can hold at the temperature,
Ta , before becoming saturated.

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1. Hydrologic Cycle and Water
Distribution

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 Hydrogeology: What is it?
• Hydrologic cycle – circulation of water in the
environment
• Hydrogeology examines the relationships of
geologic materials and flowing water

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 Global Hydrologic Cycle

Domenico and Schwartz, 1990. 18

 Basin Hydrologic Cycle

Charbeneau, 2000. 19
Basin Hydrologic Cycle – GW/SW Interaction

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Artesian Zone of Edwards
Aquifer
• The artesian zone is a
complex system of
interconnected voids
varying from microscopic
pores to open caverns
• Located between two
relatively less permeable
layers that confine and
pressurize the system
• Underlies 2100 square
miles of land
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 Global Hydrologic Cycle – Schematic

Domenico and Schwartz, 1990. 22

 Basin Hydrologic Cycle – Schematic

Domenico and Schwartz, 1990. 23

 Basin Hydrologic Cycle – Quantitative Representation

Basin

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Surface/
Soil

Aquifer

Domenico and Schwartz, 1990. 24

2. Soil Horizons

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Charbeneau, 2000. 26
Figure 15.1
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3. Aquifers

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 Aquifers
Definition: A geological unit which can store and
supply significant quantities of water.

Principal aquifers by rock type:

Unconsolidated
Sandstone
Sandstone and Carbonate
Semiconsolidated
Carbonate-rock
Volcanic
Other rocks

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Occurrence of Ground
Water

• Ground water occurs

when water recharges
the subsurface through
cracks and pores in soil
and rock
• Shallow water level is
called the water table

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 Recharge
Natural Artificial
• Precipitation • Recharge wells
• Melting snow • Water spread over land
• Infiltration by streams in pits, furrows, ditches
and lakes • Small dams in stream
channels to detain and
deflect water

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 Example Layered Aquifer System

Bedient et al., 1999. 32

Other Aquifer Features

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 Leaky and Perched Aquifers

• Leaky confined aquifer: represents a stratum that

allows water to flow from above through a leaky
confining zone into the underlying aquifer
• Perched aquifer: occurs when an unconfined water
zone sits on top of a clay lens, separated from the
main aquifer below

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4. Soil Texture

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Bedient et al., 1999. 36
 Particle Size Distribution

Poorly sorted
silty fine to
medium sand
Well sorted fine sand

Bedient et al., 1999. 37

 Particle Size Distribution

Charbeneau, 2000. 38
4. Porosity and Density

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 REV – Representative Elementary Volume

Charbeneau, 2000. 40
 REV – Scale Effect

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 41

 Types of Porous Media

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 42

 Typical Values of Porosity

Bedient et al., 1999., 43

6. Saturation and Water Content

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 Soil Moisture Held by Capillary Pressure

Charbeneau, 2000. 45
 Moisture Content in Capillary Zone

Charbeneau, 2000. 46
7. Hydraulic Head

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 Pressure and Elevation Heads - Laboratory

 = pressure head
z = elevation head
h = total head

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 48

 Pressure and Elevation Heads - Field

 = pressure head
z = elevation head
h = total head

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 49

 Two Confined Aquifers with Different Heads

Groundwater will tend to

flow from the top aquifer
to the bottom aquifer.

We can’t make any

conclusion about
horizontal head gradients
from this picture.

Charbeneau, 2000. 50
 Horizontal and Vertical Head Gradients

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 51

 Horizontal and Vertical Head Gradients

Freeze and Cherry, 1979. 52

 Lecture 2
Reading Assignments

1. Hydrologic Cycle and Water Distribution

 Bedient et al., pp. 1-6
 Domenico & Schwartz, pp. 9-21
2. Soil Horizons
 Bedient et al., pp. 15-18
 Charbeneau, pp. 5-6
3. Aquifers/Soil Texture/Porosity and Density/Saturation and Water Content
 Bedient et al., pp. 18-23
 Charbeneau, pp. 2-12
4. Hydraulic Head
 Bedient et al., pg. 24
 Domenico and Schwartz, pp. 58-59
 Freeze and Cherry, pp. 18-25

Note: Only reading in Bedient et al. is required. Other reading assignments are highly
recommended and contain extended explanations that might be helpful for your understanding of
the material.

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