An aquifer is an underground structure that contains water.
Before entering fully into clarifying the meaning of the term aquifer, we must know its etymological origin. In this case, we can say that it is a word that derives from Latin, since it is the result of the sum of two elements of said language:
-The noun aqua , which can be translated as "water."
-The verbal form fero , which is equivalent to "I carry."
What is an aquifer
Aquifer is a notion that is used in the fields of geology and biology . In the first case, an aquifer is an underground structure that houses water.
Aquifers are water reservoirs that are located below the Earth's surface. These aquifers allow water to circulate through various cracks and the porosity of their structure.
Aquifers are water reservoirs.
Your levels
In aquifers it is possible to differentiate between the water table (the upper sector), the saturation zone (the space where the rock pores fill with water) and the impermeable layer . Above the water table, and before the surface, is another sector known as the aeration zone.
An example of an aquifer is the Guaraní Aquifer , which occupies thousands of kilometers beneath Brazil , Argentina , Uruguay and Paraguay . It is the largest planetary reserve of fresh water that is below the surface.
Classification of aquifers
Many classifications of aquifers can be made, since there are numerous modalities that exist. However, among the most frequent groupings we can find the following:
-Based on their hydraulic behavior, we come across confined aquifers , which are those that are between two impermeable layers; the semi-confined ; the underestimated or free ones, which are in direct contact with what is the undersaturated area of the soil; and the coastal ones.
-According to their structure, they can be classified into two large groups: the free and the confined .
-Starting from the criterion of what their textures are, we find fissural and porous ones.
-If we base ourselves on what hydrodynamic behavior is, there are aquifers , aquicludes , aquitards and aquifuges ,
The pollution problem
It is important to keep in mind that aquifers allow a good part of the population around the world to access water. However, uncontrolled exploitation and pollution threaten this resource. Chemical fertilizers used in agriculture, waste from industrial activity and oil exploitation are some of the factors that can contaminate an aquifer.
Specifically, among the most polluting elements that exist and that seriously endanger aquifers are the waste generated in motor shops and gas stations, in paint shops, in dry cleaners, in manufacturing and in metallurgical industries. Not to mention those derived from metal mines or oil extraction, among others.
Aquifers according to biology
In the field of biology , on the other hand, an aquifer is a conduit that allows the transport of liquids in certain organisms.
Echinoderms , to name one example, have an aquiferous vascular system with multiple branches throughout the body.