To explain further, what stops lakes from simply seeping into the dirt, and thus vanishing? As a follow up question, what stops water from getting evaporated, and then the clouds move somewhere else and rain, thus depriving the lake of the water it lost?
In: Earth Science
There’s a simple equation to express how lakes exist. It is Inflow – Outflow = Storage.Lakes can be fed directly by rivers and groundwater, and indirectly by rainfall or other forms of runoff (snowmelt is one i’m thinking of)
The reason why they don’t seep into the earth is because soil can have different permeabilities. In areas with high groundwater tables and low permeability you don’t need much inflow to cause standing water (e.g. wetlands, swamps). In other area standing water is very temporary (e.g. sandy areas)
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