The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The top or upper surface of the saturated zone of water that occurs underground, except where it is confined by an overlying impermeable layer. This surface separates the zone of aeration—the layer of soil or rock that is unsaturated most of the time—from the zone of saturation below. The water table is the level at which water rises in a well that is situated in a groundwater body but not confined by a layer of impervious material. In wetlands, the water table can be at the soil surface or a few centimeters below the soil surface, but in drylands it can be several hundred meters below the soil surface. Perched water tables occur where there is a shallow impervious layer (such as a clay layer) that prevents water from percolating downward to the more persistent, regional groundwater zone. As a result, water tables can occur at different depths within a region. Generally, if water tables are close to the soil surface, groundwater is susceptible to pollution from human activities.