water table

hydrology

Also known as: groundwater table

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:: groundwater table

Related Topics:: groundwater

See all related content

water table, upper level of an underground surface in which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water. The water table separates the groundwater zone that lies below it from the capillary fringe, or zone of aeration, that lies above it. The water table fluctuates both with the seasons and from year to year because it is affected by climatic variations and by the amount of precipitation used by vegetation. It also is affected by withdrawing excessive amounts of water from wells or by recharging them artificially. See also aquifer.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.