The Ground Water Cycle

To most people, groundwater is never really thought of. Out of sight, out of mind, some might say. But ground water actually has a major impact on how we live.

(Picture from - http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclegwdischarge.html)

Ground water is exactly what is says; water that is in the ground. Whenever it rains or large amounts of snow melt, the water goes to different places. Some of it goes into lakes and rivers or is recycled into the atmosphere. The rest though, is absorbed by the ground, a process known as recharging. The water is stored in the aquifer, which is like a large tunnel system underground just for the groundwater. From there, some is accessed by many farmers for irrigating crops through pipes deep in the ground or sometimes by a well. Other parts flow out of the ground, creating freshwater springs that form lakes or create rivers. The release of the groundwater above ground is the discharge.

Besides creating waterways though, it affects our everyday life.

How?

*Click on each one to learn more*

Sinkholes

Polluted Water

Conservation

Conserving and Protecting

(Image from : http://www.wildergimp.org/2013_01_01_archive.html)

There are many places where the groundwater resurfaces, forming lakes or natural springs, but the Kissengen Spring is a perfect example for why we should limit our water usage. 

In the 1900's, it was a popular tourist attraction and place for local families to picnic and go for a swim. But, in 1950 it completely stopped flowing because of the water table being drained away by the phosphate mines. The spring used to feed over 20 million gallons of water into the Peace River, but now the upper river is dry enough in the spring time that you might mistake it as a large dirt road when passing over it on a bridge. This was the first incident of the sort in Florida, but at the rate we are going, the lush forests and deep rivers could be turned into a wasteland.

I know that people practically preach about conserving water and the environment  and you're probably tired of it. But it's true. As said by Gotye, "We walk the plank with our eyes wide open.", and his words ring true. Us humans do so much damage to the planet knowingly, and do nothing to fix what we've done. If we don't change our ways soon, it will be too late to do anything about it. Once an area has nothing left for us to consume, all we do about it is move on to a new area, and eventually, there won't be anywhere to go.

Though it seems like a doubtful cause, getting everyone to change how they live everyday life, there is always hope, and I have faith.

(Sources)

http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/pubs/WRI004008/conditions.htm

http://www.wildergimp.org/2013_01_01_archive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissingen_Springs

http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/ndemers/mining/kissengen%20Springs%20may%2008.htm

http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/hope-lives-even-as-marker-notes-polks-kissengen-springs-dry-since-1950/1193065

http://www.theledger.com/article/20110823/COLUMNISTS/108235000?p=3&tc=pg

Asia's Arising Water Problem

(Picture from - http://clevergreen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/polluted-drinking-water-300x248.jpg)

Groundwater is a huge source of drinking water, especially in the United States, where roughly fifty percent of the entire population rely on it for their water. These statistics alone should tell you that polluted ground water would cause many issues.

According to research in 2009, over 140 million people in southern Asia drink arsenic contaminated water, which can kill if to much is consumed, and over half of all 660 of Chinese cities have polluted water supplies, and the large (and growing) population is draining what water they do have. With rapid urbanization, or the growing of cities, and the severe damage being done to the environment, it's difficult to keep track of what's happening to your water until it's too late. Researchers are testing new ways to detoxify the water, or to rid it of toxins, like using microbial organisms to consume the toxic biological material and this results in a safer water supply. But all of the research will be in vain if the people in areas suffering from this issue don't change their ways. 

Cleaning up the water isn't the only step that needs to be made, though; people in these areas need to clean up their act. Pollution is not strictly man made, but adding it together with the natural pollutants isn't doing anything to help. Oil, paints, and other chemicals that are absorbed into the ground during recharging are mixed in with the water, and can mix so well that it can't be traced back to the water source until an autopsy, and by then, more people would have become victim to poisoned water.

(Sources)

http://pollutionarticles.blogspot.com/2011/11/groundwater-pollution-facts.html

http://www.clevergreen.co.za/2011/07/31/green-method-to-purify-toxic-water/

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241860.php

http://www.worldwatch.org/expert-half-chinese-cities-have-polluted-groundwater

Man Killed By Sinkhole

On March 1st, 2013, a sinkhole opened up beneath a man's bedroom in Florida, swallowing him and all of his bedroom. When the authorities arrived, it was about 30 feet wide and still expanding, and they found no signs of life. Presumed dead, the mans body was never recovered, and the rest of the residents in the home were evacuated. Sinkholes are very common in Florida, but it is more or less rare to see them this large.

Sinkholes are formed by the eroded underground caves that groundwater goes through giving way to the weight of the surface. The most likely cause of this sinkhole is excessive groundwater pumping and construction in that area, but it could be a natural sinkhole, like the Devil's Millhopper, a Florida State Park built around a sinkhole that goes down over 100 feet and is about 500 feet wide. It is called the Devil's Millhopper because of its resemblance to the hopper of a mill and the many bones found at the bottom, which suggest the path animals took to meet the devil.

Not all sinkholes are as devastating, though. Many of the lakes you see in Florida are the result of sinkholes being filled with rainwater. The reason we see so many in Florida, though, is the rocks that lay beneath us. Many of them are susceptible to being easily, and quickly, eroded. Then, with the excessive use of the ground water within the rocks, the caves are left and eventually give way under the weight of the surface, or in the case of Jeff Bush, your own bedroom.

(Sources)
http://gawker.com/5987806/100+foot-sinkhole-opens-in-florida-bedroom-swallowing-and-killing-man

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287995/First-look-deadly-sinkhole-swallowed-man-slept-brother-claims-authorities-save-him.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/01/us/florida-sinkhole

http://www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Millhopper_Geological_State_Park

http://www.sinkhole.org/facts.php