Chapter 27 - Groundwater sustainability in cold and arid regions

Abstract

Cold regions with permafrost distribution cover about one-fourth of world surfaces; while arid and semi-arid regions occupy around one-third of the earth's land area and provide the inhabitants for around 20% of populations in the world. Cold regions provide the important water resource for downstream areas, including arid and semi-arid regions. Groundwater in arid regions is critical for water supply due to local accessibility, high reliability during drought, and generally good quality. Groundwater systems in arid and semiarid regions and in cold regions are fragile and sensitive to climate change. In recent years, groundwater sustainability in these regions has drawn increasingly attention due to its depletion and contamination under the joint effects of human activities and climate change. This chapter overviews the hydrological cycle, modeling challenges, climate effect, and groundwater management in these regions. Due to the unique hydrological setting and climate condition, the hydrological cycle differs from other regions and special modeling approach that couples different physical processes is urgently needed, posing challenges for hydrogeological studies. Comprehensive groundwater resource management faces an unprecedented challenge for tackling the combined effects of population growth, economic development, ecosystem evolution, and physical processes such as surface and groundwater interaction and climate change.