groundwater
Let an agent describe groundwater by aquifer, level, quality and use, and point to monitoring data and protection rules.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Aquifer Where the groundwater is.
Type
Confined, unconfined, karst.
Aquifer type
Geology and confinement.
- What type of aquifer holds the water? definition
- How deep is it? measurement
Properties
Permeability and storage.
Hydraulic properties
Transmissivity and storage.
- What are its transmissivity and storage? measurement
- From which tests? provenance
Quantity How much water.
Levels
Water table and trends.
Water level
Level with unit and datum; depth below ground versus hydraulic head; trend.
- What is the current level and trend? measurement
- Which monitoring well reports it? provenance
Recharge and use
Inflows and abstraction.
Water balance
Recharge and abstraction.
- How much is recharged and abstracted? measurement
- Is it sustainable? boundary
Quality What is in the water.
Chemistry
Natural and polluting substances.
Quality data
Parameters and limits.
- Which parameters exceed limits? measurement
- When was it sampled? provenance
Pollution sources
Origins of contamination.
Source
Pollution source.
- Where does the contamination come from? provenance
- Is it natural, such as arsenic? boundary
Management Protection and use.
Protection
Zones and directives.
Protection zone
Zones and rules.
- Is the area a protection zone? boundary
- Which rules apply? provenance
Abstraction
Permits and wells.
Abstraction permit
Permit and limits.
- Is there a permit for abstraction? provenance
- What volume is allowed? measurement
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.MAT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- alluvial groundwater, European groundwater, coastal groundwater, deep-seated fluid, deep-seated water, groundwater under the direct influence of surface water, unconfined groundwater, Offshore freshened groundwater, artesian groundwater, artificial groundwater, free water, confined ground water
What it is Filled
Water in the saturated zone beneath the ground, filling pores and fractures in soil and rock; aquifers are the formations that store and transmit appreciable amounts of it. It feeds springs, rivers and wells and is a major source of drinking and irrigation water.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent describe groundwater by aquifer, level, quality and use, and point to monitoring data and protection rules.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Water in the saturated zone below the water table, unlike soil moisture above it.
- Not all groundwater is in an aquifer; under the EU Water Framework Directive a body of groundwater is a distinct volume within aquifers.
- Flow speed depends on geology and gradients; travel times range from days to many thousands of years.
- Can be fresh, brackish or saline.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- declare well water safe to drink without tests
- advise drilling or abstraction without permits
Only with a human decision
- drinking water safety decisions
- abstraction permits
May
- describe groundwater and provide monitoring data with sources
Moral aspects Filled
- fair sharing of groundwater
- protection for future generations
Who is affected
- communities depending on wells
- farmers
- ecosystems
Owners Filled
Steward
the state or water authority, under the rules of each jurisdiction
Master systems
- national groundwater monitoring networks
- IGRAC global groundwater information
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q832131 - registry parent class
- Q863944 - registry parent class
related
- aquifer - geological formation
- precipitation - infiltration
- surface water - rivers and lakes
- Groundwater Directive - EU protection
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.groundwater
- Wikidata: Q161598 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q161598)
- groundwater body code: member-state code EU Water Framework Directive reporting
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Properties belong to each aquifer and sample; they are recorded under quantity and quality.
Recognition required Filled
- Springs and seeps
- Water standing in wells and boreholes
- Not visible underground; seen where it emerges in springs, wells and seepage.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- describe an aquifer and its groundwater
- find monitored levels and quality data
- explain recharge and depletion
- point to protection rules and drinking water standards
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Over-abstraction and falling water tables
- Chemical contamination by nitrates, pesticides, arsenic and industrial chemicals
- Microbial contamination, especially of shallow groundwater
- Land subsidence
- Saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- EU Groundwater Directive 2006/118/EC
- EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC
- WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality
Context of use required Filled
- Supplying drinking water, irrigation and industry, and sustaining rivers, wetlands and ecosystems in dry periods.
- unconfined groundwater
- confined (artesian) groundwater
- alluvial groundwater
- karst groundwater
- fossil (non-renewable) groundwater
- coastal groundwater
Sources Filled
- Q161598 - identity of the registry item, labels and sitelinks
- Groundwater - general description of the subject
- Aquifers and Groundwater - groundwater and aquifers
- Groundwater - EU groundwater policy
- Groundwater Decline and Depletion - depletion
- Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality - drinking water
Open questions
- Should deep-seated fluids, merged here, be separate from usable groundwater?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q161598/spec.json