Question

B. Describe the journey of a snowflake from when it falls to Earth until the water it contains

becomes groundwater. Include both the movements of the water and the processes involved.
There are many possibilities; limit your answer to one path. (2 points)

Answer 1

The journey of a snowflake from when it falls to Earth until the water it contains becomes groundwater involves precipitation, infiltration, and subsurface water flow.

Step-by-step explanation:

The journey of a snowflake from when it falls to Earth until the water it contains becomes groundwater involves several processes.

First, the snowflake falls to Earth as precipitation, which can be either rain or snow. When the snowflake lands on land, it can either melt and enter freshwater bodies like rivers or lakes, or it can infiltrate the soil.

If the snowflake infiltrates the soil, it may join the subsurface water flow and become groundwater. Groundwater is stored in aquifers, which are porous layers of rock that can hold water.

Answer 2

When a snowflake falls to Earth, it can land on the ground or on other surfaces, like trees or buildings. If it lands on the ground, it could either melt right away if the temperature is above freezing, join other snowflakes to form a snowpack, or percolate through the snowpack to form groundwater.

If the snowflake becomes part of a snowpack, it will experience periodic melting and refreezing as temperatures fluctuate. Over time, some of the snow will undergo metamorphism and become denser, forming a layer of firn. The weight of the snowpack compacts the layers below and forms glacial ice, which can move down slope due to gravity. This process is called a glacier's ablation zone, where the glacier loses mass.

Eventually, the ice and snow may seep into the ground and become groundwater. Groundwater travels through porous rocks and sediment and can sometimes be drawn up by wells. This journey from snowflake to groundwater involves multiple physical and chemical processes like melting, precipitation, infiltration, evaporation, condensation, metamorphism, and several geological phenomena.