Infiltration and Percolation

Infiltration is the process by which water enters the soil from the surface, typically through the pore spaces between soil particles.

Percolation is the process by which water moves downward through the soil, typically through the pore spaces between soil particles, until it reaches the groundwater table.

The rate of infiltration is influenced by various factors such as soil texture (e.g., sandy soils infiltrate faster than clay soils), soil structure (e.g., compacted soils infiltrate slower than loose soils), and vegetation cover (e.g., dense vegetation cover promotes infiltration).

The rate of percolation is influenced by various factors such as soil texture (e.g., sandy soils percolate faster than clay soils), soil structure (e.g., compacted soils percolate slower than loose soils), and depth to groundwater table (e.g., deeper groundwater tables promote faster percolation).

The capillary fringe is the zone of soil where water is held by capillary forces, just above the groundwater table.

The saturated zone is the zone of soil where all pore spaces are filled with water, below the groundwater table.

The unsaturated zone is the zone of soil where some pore spaces are filled with water and some are filled with air, above the groundwater table.

The groundwater table is the level below which the ground is saturated with water.

Evaporation is the process by which water moves from the soil to the atmosphere, typically through the stomata of plants or directly from the soil surface.

Transpiration is the process by which water moves from plants to the atmosphere, typically through the stomata of leaves.

The rate of evaporation is influenced by various factors such as temperature (e.g., higher temperatures promote faster evaporation), humidity (e.g., lower humidity promotes faster evaporation), and wind speed (e.g., higher wind speeds promote faster evaporation).

The rate of transpiration is influenced by various factors such as temperature (e.g., higher temperatures promote faster transpiration), humidity (e.g., lower humidity promotes faster transpiration), and wind speed (e.g., higher wind speeds promote faster transpiration).

Precipitation is the process by which water moves from the atmosphere to the soil, typically in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the atmosphere changes to liquid water, typically on the surface of plants or other objects.

Deposition is the process by which water vapor in the atmosphere changes directly to solid ice, typically on the surface of plants or other objects.