The natural U-tube.

While at school, it was fascinating to watch the U-tube phenomenon of liquid poured into
the tube settling such that both arms of the tube have water at the same level. Last week,
I could see a perfect example of this phenomenon in nature itself.

While we have a fresh-water well in the backyard, it is very rarely that we actually draw
water from it, since there is piped water in all the bathrooms, kitchen, etc. The water-level
in the well keeps varying through the year & depends on the monsoon and the water-level
in the nearby river & other seasonal water-bodies like the low-lying field behind our home
that gets flooded during the monsoon.

Last Saturday, I happened to look at the water-level in the well & was amazed to see that
the level was pretty high - not even three full rungs.



Looks like the netting spread over the well is not very effective, since I can see atleast
a couple of twigs floating on the surface.


And when I did a visual comparison of the water-level in the well with the water level in
the flooded fields just 50 metres away, they are at the same level. As if the well and the
field were the two arms of a giant U-tube, connected by the landbody in between them.

Ofcourse, it is not possible to frame a picture such that I can show both the well and the
field in the same frame and also with the water level in both. But what can be done is to
give an idea of how the fields look like today, here is a picture taken last week. Funny
that just a few months ago, the kids were playing here & today it is like a swimming pool.

Actually the low-lying field is now fully flooded and water has even entered the higher
land on which my Dad has his banana plantation.

A perfect demo of the U-tube phenomenon by nature. We see/learn new things daily.