Change in groundwater table depth caused by natural change and human activities during the past 40 years in the Shiyang River Basin, northwest China

Min Liu; Zhenlong Nie; Xuequan Liu; Lifang Wang; Le Cao

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167722

Change in groundwater table depth caused by natural change and human activities during the past 40 years in the Shiyang River Basin, northwest China

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 1:906:167722. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167722. Epub 2023 Oct 11.

Authors

Min Liu¹, Zhenlong Nie¹, Xuequan Liu², Lifang Wang¹, Le Cao¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 268 Zhonghua North Street, Shijiazhuang 050061, PR China; Key Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, 268 Zhonghua North Street, Shijiazhuang 050061, PR China.
² Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 268 Zhonghua North Street, Shijiazhuang 050061, PR China; Key Laboratory of Groundwater Sciences and Engineering, Ministry of Natural Resources, 268 Zhonghua North Street, Shijiazhuang 050061, PR China. Electronic address: liuxuequan@mail.cgs.gov.cn.

PMID: 37827325
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167722

Abstract

Groundwater is the primary water source for agriculture, social economy, and ecosystem in the Shiyang River Basin (SRB), northwest China. Research on its variation and attribution is of great importance for the sustainable development of local economy, water resources, and the environment. In this study, the changes in the groundwater table depth (GTD) during 1980-2017 in different sub-basins and different periods were analyzed using the linear trend and moving t-test methods. The contribution of natural and human activity to GTD in the before and after periods of the Comprehensive Treatment Program of the SRB (CTSRB) were quantified using a multiple general linear model. The results showed that (1) the GTD in SRB showed a significant increasing trend during 1980-2017, and it could be divided into three stages: slow increase (1980-1987), rapid increase (1987-2008), and spatially different trends (2009-2017). In sub-basins, the increasing rates in the three stages in Wuwei were 1.05 m/10a, 2.86 m/10a, and 4.50 m/10a, respectively, while those in Minqin were 3.89 m/10a, 6.24 m/10a, and 0.85 m/10a, respectively. (2) The contribution of human irrigation activity to GTD in Minqin decreased from 77.3 % during the pre-CTSRB period to 38.0 % during the post-CTSRB period, while that in Wuwei increased from 67.3 % to 83.8 %. This was due to the CTSRB focusing on the groundwater and ecological restoration in the lower reaches of SRB. (3) The dominant attributing factor to the increase in GTD was groundwater exploitation driven by expanded irrigated-farmland during the pre-CTSRB period. However, the implementation of CTSRB has achieved remarkable results, and the groundwater level in Minqin virtually reached a stable state, especially in the Lake irrigation district. This study provides a reference and basis for sustainable utilization and management of groundwater resources in similar arid and semi-arid regions.

Keywords: Comprehensive treatment program of the Shiyang River basin; Contribution; Evaporation; Groundwater exploitation; Groundwater level; Variation.

MeSH terms

China
Ecosystem
Groundwater*
Human Activities
Humans
Rivers*