Water Flow Lab

Background:
Water is used for many activities and by many people, but the water we have is unchanging. The amount of water will never be any more or any less water than is on the Earth currently. Most water on earth is found in oceans and is salty, while most water that is used by human needs to be freshwater, whether it be for drinking, agriculture or cooking. Our freshwater sources are mainly frozen in ice caps and glaciers, but these sources are not always accessible by people depending on their location. In much of the continental United States, the main source of freshwater is taken from our groundwater sources. Maintaining the quality of this critical source is key to our survival and the protection of all other species on earth.
An aquifer is the porous layer of rock underground that holds large amounts of the groundwater. It is important to understand the permeability and porosity of various types of aquifers to understand how water …show more content…
The aquifers that were tested had the two materials, gravel and sand. The dependent variable which is affected by the type of aquifer, is the porosity and permeability. On the other hand, if the porosity and permeability is the independent variable, then the dependent variable is the rate at which the pollutant enters the groundwater inside of the aquifer. I think that the gravel aquifer will have more spaces in between and thus a higher porosity. If there is a higher porosity, then there could be a higher permeability. So, the if the sand has a lower porosity, the permeability will be changed. If there is a lower permeability, then the pollution cannot infiltrate into the water in the aquifer as quickly. In conclusion, larger particle sizes allow for a higher porosity. This indicates that the permeability will be higher and a pollutant could enter the water supply at a faster rate for a larger