Question

Surface water. 

Explain the following term.

Surface water

Answer 1

Surface water is water on the surface of the planet such as in a river, lake, wetland, or ocean. It can be contrasted with groundwater and atmospheric water. Non-saline surface water uses is replenished by precipitation and by recruitment from ground-water.

Answer 2

Surface water refers to all naturally occurring freshwater that accumulates and remains on the top layer of the earth's crust, such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and constructed reservoirs. It is primarily replenished by direct atmospheric precipitation, such as rain and melting snow, as well as surface runoff from adjacent catchment regions. Surface water is the most visible and easily available hydrologic resource, serving as the foundation for large-scale canal irrigation networks, industrial operations, and municipal water supply systems. However, because it is immediately exposed to the open atmosphere, its availability varies greatly with seasonal climatic variations and high evaporation rates, and it is still extremely vulnerable to environmental degradation from urban sewage and agricultural runoff.