Anthropogenic Influences on the Hydrochemical Characteristics of the Groundwater in Xiamen City, China and Their Evolution

Abstract

This study analyzed the anthropogenic influences on the hydrochemical composition characteristics of the groundwater in Xiamen City, Fujian province, China, and their evolution. Based on the hydrochemical data of the groundwater of 1993 and 2019–2021, this study identified the indices of the anthropogenic influences using mathematical and statistical analysis methods, such as contrast coefficient, standard deviation, and Mahalanobis distance. The analytical results are summarized as follows: (1) the number of the indices affecting the groundwater quality in Xiamen increased from nine in 1993 to 15 in 2019, and the six increased indicators included NO3−, Pb, NH4+, Al3+, NO2− and Cu (the contribution rates to poor-quality were 26.0%, 16.3%, 10.6%, 4.1%, 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively) which were related to the input of human activities. During this period, the number of hydrochemical types increased from 19 in 1993 to 28 in 2019, with a decrease in the water of the HCO3 type and an increase in the water of Cl and SO4 types; (2) In 2019, NO3− had higher content than SO42− in the groundwater and became a major anion, forming the water of NO3 type; (2) as indicated by the analytical results obtained using the Mahalanobis distance method, areas with strong anthropogenic influences include densely populated areas and areas with intensively distributed industrial enterprises, while anthropogenic influences are very weak in the northern forest land area.