The phreatic zone, saturated zone, or zone of saturation, is the part of an aquifer, below the water table, in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water. The part above the water table is the vadose zone (also called unsaturated zone).
The phreatic zone size, color, and depth may fluctuate with changes of season, and during wet and dry periods.[1][2] Depending on the characteristics of soil particles, their packing and porosity, the boundary of a saturated zone can be stable or instable, exhibiting fingering patterns known as Saffman–Taylor instability. Predicting the onset of stable vs. unstable drainage fronts is of some importance in modelling phreatic zone boundaries.[3]
See alsoedit
Capillary fringe – Subsurface layer in which groundwater seeps up from a water table by capillary action
Epiphreatic zone – Zone between the saturated and unsaturated zones
^"Phreatic Zone". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
^"Phreatic Zone". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
^ Dynamics of Drainage and Viscous Fingering in Transport in Porous Media Note that zones "behind" the drainage front are areas on the 'dry' (low-viscosity) (typically above / beyond the 'wet' zone).
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phreatic, zone, phreatic, zone, saturated, zone, zone, saturation, part, aquifer, below, water, table, which, relatively, pores, fractures, saturated, with, water, part, above, water, table, vadose, zone, also, called, unsaturated, zone, cross, section, hillsl. The phreatic zone saturated zone or zone of saturation is the part of an aquifer below the water table in which relatively all pores and fractures are saturated with water The part above the water table is the vadose zone also called unsaturated zone Cross section of a hillslope depicting the vadose zone capillary fringe water table and the phreatic or saturated zone Source United States Geological Survey Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table The phreatic zone size color and depth may fluctuate with changes of season and during wet and dry periods 1 2 Depending on the characteristics of soil particles their packing and porosity the boundary of a saturated zone can be stable or instable exhibiting fingering patterns known as Saffman Taylor instability Predicting the onset of stable vs unstable drainage fronts is of some importance in modelling phreatic zone boundaries 3 See also editCapillary fringe Subsurface layer in which groundwater seeps up from a water table by capillary action Epiphreatic zone Zone between the saturated and unsaturated zones Infiltration hydrology Process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil Phreatic Term used in several scientific disciplines Phreatophyte Type of plant Vadose zone Unsaturated aquifer above the water table Index Aquifer articlesReferences edit Phreatic Zone TheFreeDictionary com Retrieved 7 June 2012 Phreatic Zone Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved 7 June 2012 Dynamics of Drainage and Viscous Fingering in Transport in Porous Media Note that zones behind the drainage front are areas on the dry low viscosity typically above beyond the wet zone nbsp This hydrology article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Phreatic zone amp oldid 1197936652, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
